Hello OCBC family. Hebrews 12:1-2 said, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Last Sunday night during our evening worship service, we sang the old hymn “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” and I was looking about this wonderful hymn and I found this.

The author was Ray Palmer, son of the Hon. Thomas Palmer, a Judge in Rhode Island. He went to Yale and graduated in 1830. In 1835, he became pastor of the Central Congregational Church in Bath, Maine. Before his graduation, he wrote a poem that expressed his feelings about Christ. A year later in 1831, he met Lowell Mason, a famous hymn composer, and at that time Mason asked Palmer if he had any poems for a new collection of hymns that he was preparing. Palmer gave Mason this poem he had written, not expecting it to be used in the new collection. Nevertheless, Mason found these lyrics so beautiful, he created a simple melody to be used with them and used it in his new collection.

The original poem was six stanzas long, but now in the hymnals we use only four of them. The melody is a simple melody that any congregation can learn because the pattern of the rhythm is easy to follow. The melody is just one octave long, which mean, it is not too high or too low to sing. This hymn must be sung with confidence with a firm accompaniment. It is a great tool to sing a prayer to God.

1 My faith looks up to thee,
thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray;
take all my guilt away.
O let me from this day
be wholly thine!

2 May thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart,
my zeal inspire.
As thou hast died for me,
O may my love to thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire!

3 While life’s dark maze I tread
and griefs around me spread,
be thou my guide;
bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow’s tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from thee aside.

4 When life’s swift race is run,
death’s cold work almost done,
be near to me.
Blest Savior, then, in love
fear and distrust remove.
O bear me safe above,
redeemed and free!
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family. Let me share a passage with you. “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known” (John 1:16-18).

During my devotional time I read these verses and I remembered an old hymn that I taught you several months ago, “Here Is Love.” The author of this hymn was, in part, William Rees, who wrote the first and second stanza. He was an independent minister, writer editor, and political leader. We do not know much about his life, only that he was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ and perhaps this is more than enough. Some scholars believe that William Williams wrote verses 3 and 4 in Welsh, and were translated into English by William Edwards. For your information, William Williams is the author of the hymn, “Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah.”

This hymn was probably written in the late 1800s, but sadly remained in only a few editions of some hymnals. It wasn’t until 1990, when “The Promise Keepers” men’s conference reintroduced it, that this hymn became alive again. Now, in some modern hymnals, like “Hymns of Grace”, “Here is Love” is well and alive, with its powerful message to be shared to a new generation as a testimony that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, went to the cross for our sins.

Here are the lyrics:

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Loving kindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

In His service,
​
Israel

Hello OCBC family,

Let me share a passage with you, “when Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty [El Shadai]; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly’” (Genesis 17:1). It is good to know that the same God that made this promise to Abram is the same God that we serve and worship; He was El Shadai for Abram, and He will be El Shadai for you.

In the twelfth century a Jew called Moses Maimonides wrote a creed in thirteen articles, but two centuries after, in Rome, another Jew called Daniel ben Judah wrote a metrical form of these articles to be used as a hymn. Daniel ben Judah’s hymn became very popular in the famous Great Synagogue of London, and it was sang almost every Sabbath, and it was there where Thomas Olivers heard it for the first time. This man became a Christian under the ministry of Whitefield and several years afterwards he was a close collaborator of John Wesley. Nevertheless, when he heard this Jewish hymn and its powerful words, he made a Christian translation.  The old hymn based on the Old Testament now has new clothes, the New Testament message, that Jehovah is Jesus Himself.

The melody has a Hebrew flavor and scholars believe that the cantor of the Great Synagogue composed the melody; his name was Meyer Lyon.

This is a great hymn that sadly has been taken out of the hymnals, but the message is still great, and a wonderful tool to worship El Shadai. Read it, and meditate on its words.

1 The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.

2 The great I AM has sworn;
I on this oath depend.
I shall, on eagle wings upborne,
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God's face;
I shall God's power adore,
and sing the wonders of God's grace
forevermore.

3 The heavenly land I see,
with peace and plenty blest;
a land of sacred liberty,
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow
with mercy crowned.

4 The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and "Holy, holy, holy!" cry
"Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!"

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family. This week during my devotional I read the passage of Mark 6:7-12, “And he called the twelve and began to send out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in their belts – but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, ‘Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”

In this passage I can see Jesus sending His disciples with nothing except a staff, which means that He is telling them that they can trust on Him, that He will provide for all their necessities; and He did. We can rest on His promises because they are faithful. Many times we do not understand His plans but we can be sure that He will fulfill His will in our lives. I recall the life of William Cowper, a pastor that was faithful to his church but with mental problems; he suffered from depressions.

He tried to kill himself several times because his depression was severe. His friend, John Newton, when he saw his situation, told William to write down poems, and lyrics for hymns. One of his most well-known hymns is “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” which gave him comfort and peace. This same hymn has been a blessing for many other believers through the centuries. Please, read the lyrics and use them as a devotional.
​
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family. Paul said, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8 – ESV). These powerful words were the inspiration for Isaac Watts. You know many of his hymns, like “Joy to the World” or “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” but perhaps “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed” is his best known text. Yes, Isaac Watts used the words of Paul to create these words, “Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut its glories in, when God, the mighty maker, died for his own creature's sin.”

This hymn without a refrain is called “Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed” but if you sing it with a refrain its name is “At the Cross.” You may ask “why?” and the reason is that Isaac Watts never wrote this hymn with a refrain, just six four-lines stanzas. The melody for the “just verses” version is called MARTYRDOM, a Scottish folk tune.

The melody of the popular version for many believers is called HUDSON, named after its composer, Ralph E. Hudson. This version has the familiar refrain that starts with the words, “At the cross, at the cross.” The version with a refrain became very popular during tent revival meetings, where the music leader normally sang the verses of the hymn and the congregation (without a hymnal to follow the lyrics) sang the refrain alone.

No matter which version you sing or which version you like more, both have a very deep teaching about the perfect sacrifice that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for us. Use this hymn as a devotional and praise the name of the Lord with it.
​
1 Alas! And did my Savior bleed,
 and did my Sovereign die!
 Would he devote that sacred head
 for sinners such as I?
 
2 Was it for crimes that I have done,
 he groaned upon the tree?
 Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
 And love beyond degree!
 
3 Well might the sun in darkness hide,
 and shut its glories in,
 when God, the mighty maker, died
 for his own creature's sin.
 
4 Thus might I hide my blushing face
 while his dear cross appears;
 dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
 and melt mine eyes to tears.
 
5 But drops of tears can ne'er repay
 the debt of love I owe.
 Here, Lord, I give myself away;
 'tis all that I can do.
 
In His service,
Israel
 

Hello OCBC family. Christmas is here and we can feel it; we hear the carols in the mall, the radio, TV, everywhere. This is the time when believers remember that Christ, our Lord, came to this earth with the sole purpose to die on the cross for our sins. This is the real message of Christmas, and this message is found in the Bible, but not just in the Gospel of Luke or Matthew (the only gospels that talk about Jesus’ birth) but in the Old Testament as well.
This coming Sunday at 6 pm, we will have the opportunity, once again, to hear this blessed message in our special worship service called “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.” This worship service is composed by nine passages that point to the first coming of Jesus and His plan of redemption of the human race, and because Christmas is a great time to sing, the service is full of music with the adult choir singing some special anthems but the congregation singing as well during the service. This is a worship service and not just a mere performance where the choir is the “star” and the congregation the “spectator.”
I encourage you to make plans and come this Sunday evening and have a wonderful time singing and hearing the story of Christmas. Invite your relatives and friends, even if they have little ones; this service is for everyone because He came for everyone.
Remember, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 – ESV).

​In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family. Psalm 8:1-2 said, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.” In 1863, Folliott S. Peirpoint was walking through the woods in England, and he was looking of the beauty of the creation. The big trees, the little birds, the river, gave him the inspiration to write a hymn that is a prayer full of thanksgiving. Above all, he thought of the perfect sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for our sins, and a new hymn was born, “For the Beauty of the Earth.”

This hymn was originally used for the Lord’s Supper celebration, and now, sadly, churches just sing it during Thanksgiving time. We should sing this song more often through the year because we must to be grateful to God during the whole year; His blessings are not just during the month of November.

During this time of transition, let us raise our voice and worship the Lord for His faithfulness, using these beautiful words of this loved hymn.

1 For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies.

Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise.

2 For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light,

3 For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild,

4 For yourself, best gift divine,
to the world so freely given,
agent of God's grand design:
peace on earth and joy in heaven.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family. You are very familiar with this passage, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3 – ESV). The reality of this passage is that the Godhead is the creator of everything; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were very active in the creation. Everything that we see came from God’s mouth. The Creed of the Apostles declares this truth, “We believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth.”

Cecil Frances Alexander was married to a minister in Londonderry, Ireland, and her desire was to teach children the Creed of the Apostles and its meaning. She wrote several children songs so these little ones could learn biblical doctrine. She visited areas where poor families lived and gathered the kids and taught them bible stories. She wrote so many songs that she was able to create a whole collection of children hymns.

The Bible and the Creed of the Apostles said that God created everything, then Cecil Frances Alexander wrote, “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” In this hymn, she paints with her lyrics colorful pictures of what creation is. Her poem is so full of details that anybody can see the creation through Alexander’s eyes.

Robert Brown said about this hymn, “Often when we think of God the Creator, we consider the vast galaxies of space and the mighty billowing oceans, but this hymn, written for boys and girls, talks of little flowers with glowing colors, little birds with tiny wings, purple-headed mountains, ripe fruits in the garden, and meadows where we play. God created these things, not only so we would marvel at His greatness, but also for us to enjoy.”

Perhaps you are not familiar with this hymn, but I encourage you to read it and use it as a devotional or prayer, after all He did create everything bright and beautiful.
 
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

1 Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
God made their tiny wings.

2 The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky:

3 The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them every one.

4 God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well.

In His service,
​
Israel

Hello OCBC family. 1 Peter 3:18 said, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (ESV). The cross of Jesus is offensive for many people. Why do we, as Christians, have a symbol that represents punishment? The message is that we do not celebrate the cross, but we celebrate the name of the One who died on that cross. This is the message of Christianity that Jesus suffered for our sins, and makes us anew. He is the one we celebrate and someday in heaven we will cast out our crowns to the feet of our Savior. This is the message that George Bennard (1873-1958) preached during his evangelistic meetings.

During one of these meetings, he was inspired by the words of John 3:16 and started to pen the lyrics of the hymn “The Old Rugged Cross”, which took one year to complete. For some people, this hymn is more about the cross than Jesus, but this is not true. It took more than forty years for this hymn to appear in a hymnbook because of this controversy. Nevertheless the message is about Jesus dying on this cross for our sins.

Enjoy the lyrics once again:

1 On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.

2 O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary.

3 In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me.

4 To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he'll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I'll share.

In His service,

Israel

Hello OCBC family. During my devotional time I read this passage, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27 – ESV). This is a very special call from the Lord to us, His disciple, to take our cross daily and follow Him. What is your cross? I do not know, but the Lord does; but I can assure you that He will help you with it. It will be not easy but we have the words of our Savior to give us peace, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Perhaps John E. Bode had these words in his thoughts when he wrote the hymn “O Jesus, I Have Promised.”

John E. Bode served in the parish of Castle Camps, near Cambridge, England. During this time he had the privilege to officiate the confirmation ceremony of his daughter and two sons. This hymn “O Jesus, I Have Promised” was written for this occasion. The original version of the hymn said at the first stanza, “O Jesus, We Have Promised” as a reference of the three children of Bode.
This hymn is a powerful prayer that we can say to our Lord that we will be faithful to Him. We are not perfect but He is, and He will help us to remain faithful to His kingdom. Paul said, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

1. O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.

2. Oh, let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,
I dare not trust my judgment: Thy way shall be my will;
Oh, speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
Oh, speak, and help me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.

3. O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end--
Oh, give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.

4. Oh, let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone;
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then in Heav’n receive me, my Savior and my Friend.
​
In His service,
Israel