Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:33:42 -0700WeeblyWed, 14 Oct 2026 17:08:24 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes6798258Hello OCBC family,
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1).
Psalm 23 is the most well-known psalm, every believer loves it, and many parents chose this psalm to be the first one for their kids to memorize. In Psalm 23 we can find comfort, peace, but also deep doctrine. For David, the author of this Psalm, Yahweh was his shepherd, but now, for us through the lens of the New Testament, Jesus is our Shepherd.

The author of the hymn the I want to talk to you about is Isaac Watts, and the name of the hymn is “My Shepherd, You supply My Need.”

You are familiar with the name of Isaac Watts, because we sing several of his hymns, like “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” “Joy to the World,” or “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” He was an English Nonconformist minister and one of the most influential hymn writers in Protestant history; in fact, he has been called the “Father of English Hymnody.”

During his time, churches only sang psalms in a metrical form, but his desire was to adapt the psalms with the New Testament language. In 1719 he created a collection of hymns called, “The Psalms of David Imitated” saying that he sought to express how David might have sung the Psalms in the light of the coming of Jesus Christ.

Now, when we read or sing this hymn, “My Shepherd, You Supply My Need,” we see that Isaac Watts created three stanzas, using the traditional way that Bibles split Psalm 23.

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

“My Shepherd will supply my need;
Jehovah is His name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wand'ring spirit back,
When I forsake His ways;
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.”

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

“When I walk thro' the shades of death
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.”

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

“The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.”

The melody is called “RESIGNATION” (Southern Harmony), an easy melody to learn and sing, and the composer is unknown.

Please, enjoy this hymn and use it for quiet time and devotion, knowing that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is our Good Shepherd.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:55:18 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes1341056Hello OCBC family,
“So the Lord alone led him.” (Deuteronomy 32:12a).
This passage is from the last song that Moses taught to the people of Israel, a song that exalted God as the guide of His people, God is the rock for Israel, He never forgot His people and led them into the promised land. And this is the same God that we worship, because He is till guiding us through this journey, and He is our rock, and one day, He will lead us to the Promised Land.

“All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who thro' life has been my guide?
Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.”

The author of this hymn is the very well-known hymnwriter Fanny Crosby. She wrote over 8,000 hymns, but this hymn has a unique situation, because this is the first hymn by Fanny Crosby that Robert Lowry composed the melody, and its name is “ALL THE WAY.” Robert Lowry was a Baptist pastor and a prolific hymnwriter. After this hymn, a partnership with Fanny Crosby started, and they created at least ten more hymns.

This hymn is not just about Christ’s guidance, but also about God’s providence. This is clear in the second stanza.

“All the way my Savior leads me;
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for ev'ry trial,
Feeds me with the living bread;
Tho' my weary steps may falter,
And my soul a-thirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.”

In this stanza Fanny Crosby remind us about the provision of water by God through the rock (Number 20), which lead us to a beautiful lesson by our Lord Jesus to the woman from Samaria, “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’” (John 4:13-14).

But hope will come after this life is over.
“All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's house above;
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song thro' endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song thro' endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.”

Remember the words of Jesus to His disciples.
“In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-3).
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:35:51 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes3477013Hello OCBC family,
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

 This is the last verse of the very familiar psalm, the 23rd Psalm, by David. In this psalm, we see that David has absolute trust in God, because He is his Shepherd, who guides and cares for him. And that one day, he will dwell with Him in glory.

The 23rd Psalm has been the theme and inspiration for many authors and composers to set lyrics and tunes so the church can sing, as David, the Yahweh is the shepherd, and Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.

Francis Rous, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesely, Fanny Crosby, Joseph Gilmore, have their own setting of the psalm 23.

But there is another author that has a beautiful setting of the Good Shepherd  psalm, Sir Henry William Baker.

Baker was born on May 27, 1821, and he received his education at Trinity college, Cambridge. He was an Anglican clergyman and became very famous for his contribution in the English hymnody.

He wrote the hymn “The King of Love My shepherd Is” and because he was the editor-chief of the new edition of the Hymns Ancient and Modern, he included his poem as an appendix.

“The King of love my Shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His,
and He is mine forever.”

Baker created this paraphrase of the psalm 23 for the setting of a Welsh tune, but in our congregation we use an Irish melody.

Pay attention that Baker, using the psalm 23, still focuses the message on Jesus, because he uses the image of Jesus as the living water from John 7:37-38, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

“Where streams of living water flow
my ransomed soul He leadeth,
and, where the verdant pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.”

He served faithfully in the same church until his death, as Vicar of Monkland, Herefordshire.

When he died, his last audible words were the third verse of his hymn,
“Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
but yet in love He sought me.
And on His shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me.”

Baker served his Shepherd until he went home, a good example to follow. And one day we can sing the last stanza of his hymn.

“And so through all the length of days,
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
within Thy house forever.”
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:04:58 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes3494177Hello OCBC family,
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11).

In this beautiful passage, our Lord Jesus is telling us that He is the Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd that knows His sheep, that He takes care of His sheep, that He lays down His life for His sheep. And this image is not new. The idea of the Good Shepherd is found in the Old Testament, when God Himself says that He is the true shepherd (Ps. 23; Isa. 40:11) in contrast with unfaithful shepherds (Jer. 23:1-4) who will be judged by Him.

As Christians, we can have confidence that our Good Shepherd will take care of us, and this comfort, for us, can be found in the lyrics of the loved hymn “Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us.”

Who is the author of this hymn? For many people, the author is Henry F. Lyte, author of the other famous hymn, “Abide with Me.” But the hymn, when it appeared for the first time in a hymnal called, “Hymns for the Young” was anonymous, but the person who put together this hymnal was a lady called Dorothy A. Thrupp, and people think that she wrote this hymn.

“Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.”

Dorothy Ann Thrupp was born in London, June 10, 1779, and she wrote many hymns, the majority for children, that is why the lyrics of her hymns have simple language. She wrote her hymns under the pseudonym of "Iota."

“We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray.”

When you read or sing this hymn, you can feel it as a prayer, because it is a prayer. We recognize Christ as the Shepherd, and we are His sheep, therefore we can ask Him for His care and guidance.

We know that this hymn has simple language so little ones can understand the message of the Good Shepherd, nevertheless, the hymn has its theological depths. Read the third stanza.

“Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and pow'r to free;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.”

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, adore Him.

“Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Ps. 100:3).
​
“Early let us seek Thy favor;
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
With Thy love our beings fill;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast love us, love us still;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast love us, love us still.”

In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:55:28 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes3846229Hello OCBC family,
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15).

The context of this verse is when Jesus, during the last supper, explains to his disciples that he is the true vine and the disciples are the branches. We are the branches, dear brothers and sisters. And we know that he abides in us and we must abide in him. Now, during the first part of this discourse, Jesus is telling them that they are branches and servants, but he changes the image; the disciples are not just branches and slaves, but Jesus called them friends. Jesus is sharing with them everything that the Father shared with him. What a blessing to know that the King of kings and Lord of lords called us his friends.

And because he is our friend, we have the assurance that he can hear our petitions, and we can trust that he will answer our prayers.

Because of this, Joseph Medlicott Scriven (1819–1886) an Irish-born Christian, wrote a sweet and loved hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
Joseph’s life was full of tragedies, nevertheless, he trusted in the Lord. First, he could not join the army because of his health. Then, before his wedding, his fiancé died suddenly in a drowning accident. He got engaged again, but sadly, his fiancé passed away a few months before the wedding because she became very ill.

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!”

He moved from Ireland to Canada, and because his mother stayed in Ireland, he wrote these lyrics as a poem to give comfort to her, not knowing that this poem would later become the hymn that we know.

Because of his life full of tragedies, Joseph suffered from a deep depression. Even though, he tried to live his life following the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon of the Mountain.

“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 ev'ry weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer!”

The sad part of this article that I must share is that Joseph was found dead, drowned in Rice Lake, but because of his severe depression, it is not known whether he died by accident or suicide.

“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.”

There are a few things we can learn from this lovely hymn. God is sovereign over our circumstances. Nevertheless, Christians will suffer from trials, but we can go to our Savior for help and refuge.

When was the last time you suffered from a problem? Maybe yesterday, but be assured that if you go to the Lord in prayer, He will give you the peace you need.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:07:18 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes3841386Hello OCBC family,
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth.” (Ephesians 3:17-18).

Can you measure the love of Christ? No, we cannot, because His love is infinite and eternal. This means that we are not outside of the love of God, He saved us and kept us in His love.

A favorite hymn of our congregation, paints a vivid picture of God’s love, and this hymn is “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.” The author of this hymn is Samuel Trevor Francis, born in a village north of London on November 19, 1834. His father was an artist, and Samuel, under his father’s influence, became a poet himself. He wrote several poems. But his talent was not in writing poems only but in music as well. He joined the choir of his church at the age of nine.

When he reached his teenager age, he went to London to work, and he was far away from the Lord, nevertheless, he knew that something was not right in his life.

Several years after, he wrote that while he was going home, he was feeling unhappy with his life, and he was ready to kill himself, jumping from the London’s Hungerford Bridge to the Thames River. Then he remembered his early years and his devotion to God, and his life changed. And he wrote this hymn.

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Thy love;
Leading onward, leading home-ward,
To my glorious rest above.”

Francis became a London merchant, but his real passion was kingdom work. He wrote several hymns and preached on the streets. He preached around the world for the Plymouth Brethren.

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth,
Changeth never, nevermore.
How He watches o'er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth,
Watcheth o'er them from the throne!”

The melody was composed by Thomas J. Williams and first appeared as a hymn tune in a Welsh hymnal around 1890. The name of the tune is EBENEZER.

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Love of ev'ry love the best!
'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'Tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee.”

Please, use Francis’ hymn during your quiet time to remember the love of God to us.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 16:12:33 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes8041797Hello OCBC family,
“And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 – ESV).

Reading this passage, we can see that Paul is telling the believers to know the love of Christ, not the love believers have for Christ, but the love of and from Christ that He places in their heart even before they can fully love Him or anyone else. But also, we can see that this love of Christ surpasses knowledge, meaning that unbelievers cannot experience this love of Christ, just the true believers.

This is the thought that Bernard of Clairvaux had when he wrote his famous hymn, “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.”

Who is Bernard of Clairvaux? Born in 1090 near Dijon and died in 1153. He was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercian Order. He had a difficult personality, having problems with many leaders of the church. Nevertheless, the catholic church called Doctor of the Church, for his studies and writings. But besides being a saint of the Catholic Church, we can rescue few things from him, and one of them is the famous hymn written by him, “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.”

Its original name is Jesu dulcis memoria (“Jesus, the sweet remembrance”), and we can notice that this hymn, rather than being a theological document (the hymn has several passages full of sound doctrine), is more like a devotional reading.

“Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.”

The lyric in English was made by Edward Caswall (1814–1878), and the melody was created by John Bacchus Dykes in 1866, the same composer that wrote the melody of another famous hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

“No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the mem'ry find
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
O Savior of mankind!”

The Christian's joy is not ultimately found in blessings from Christ, but in Christ Himself. You can see that Bernard of Clairvaux is focusing a lot in the name of Jesus, and the devotion that we must have to His precious and perfect name.

“O Hope of every contrite heart!
O Joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!”

What a beautiful picture we see that Jesus is the Hope for sinners that come in repentance because, He is the only Hope. And then, Jesus is the Joy for the believers.

“But what to those who find? ah! this,
No tongue or pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is--
None but His loved ones know.”

The hymn closes with this idea, is something about communion with Christ that cannot be adequately expressed in human language.

Please, use this hymn from 12th century as a devotional reading during your quiet time, and use the words of Bernard of Clairvaux as yours.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:08:21 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes5213940Hello OCBC family,
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).
Perhaps you are very familiar with this passage, because Martin Luther used this verse to write his famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” But this same verse was the inspiration for another hymnwriter to create a very powerful and loving hymn. I will tell you later about the author and the hymn’s name.

This psalm is not by David, but the sons of Korah. The choirmaster or chief Musician (KJV) was the music minister, and he used the sons of Korah to sing this psalm. The son of Korah was a division of Levites. This psalm is to be used in public worship, proclaiming that God is the strength and refuge of His people. Christians don't need to trust in armies, fortresses, or castles, but in Jehovah, the God of armies. Enemies will not be a threat to them, because God will fight the battle.

God as a Refuge was the theme that Charles Wesley used to create his hymn, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” Charles Wesley, John Wesley’s brother, wrote thousand of hymns, and this particular one was written in 1740, during the early years of the Methodist revival.

Chrales Wesley’s hymns frequently take biblical doctrines and turn them into personal prayers of faith, and “Jesus Lover of My Soul” is a good example of this. Read the first stanza.

“Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to Thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high:
hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life is past;
safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last!”

This is a supplication of Wesley to go to Jesus and take refuge in Him. The shelter is Christ, no other.

“Other refuge have I none,
hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me!
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
all my help from Thee I bring;
cover my defenseless head
with the shadow of Thy wing.”

Even though Wesley has an Arminian theology, in the second stanza we can read a strong statement about Solus Christus, one of the five Solas of Reformation.

In the third stanza, Wesley is telling us about the contrast between the perfect Savior (Jesus Christ), and the imperfect man. Wesley recognized his sinful condition and Christ’s righteousness. For him, Jesus is sufficient for every spiritual need.

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
more than all in Thee I find:
raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name,
I am all unrighteousness;
false and full of sin I am,
Thou art full of truth and grace.”

In the last stanza we can see the work of Jesus and the perseverance of the saints. According to Wesley, Jesus gave us justification but also gave us sanctification and will preserve our condition until we reign with Him in glory.

“Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin;
let the healing streams abound;
make and keep me pure within:
Thou of life the Fountain art,
freely let me take of Thee,
spring Thou up within my heart,
rise to all eternity.”

Please, use this hymn as part of your quiet time, remembering the work of Jesus on the cross for us.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:21:38 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes6192866Hello OCBC family,
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 – NKJV).

This sweet call from our Lord Jesus Christ is because He knows we are in spiritual bankruptcy. He knows that humanity tries to save itself, following its own rules, or precepts that rather than bringing it closer to God, distance it from its Creator, and become a heavy burden. Pay attention that His first sentence in this passage is, “Come to Me.” This is an invitation to trust in Jesus personally and not just to know about Him. He will deliver us from a heavy laden, but in the next verse He tells us to take His yoke upon us. Is this a contradiction? By no means. Heavy laden is the Law and its precepts, hard to carry, but Jesus’ yoke is to be His disciple, and this will give us rest through simple commitment to Him.

Jesus’ invitation is to hear His voice and obey. This verse was the inspiration to Horatius Bonar to write down his hymn, “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.”
I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto Me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting place,
and He has made me glad.

Horatius Bonar was born on 19 December 1808 in Edinburgh. His education was obtained at the High School, and the University of his native city. He was ordained to the ministry in 1837. He was pastor of the Establish Church of Scotland, but later he became a pastor of the Free Church of Scotland. In his family there was a long list of ministers and pastors.

He married Jane C. Bonar, and they had nine children, but sadly, five of them died in succession. He became very popular as hymnwriter and wrote several books for devotional reading.

In the hymn that we are checking today, Horatius wrote this poem as a testimony, but not focusing on him but in the work of Jesus Christ. Notice that Bonar starts each verse with “I heard” but suddenly he turns the attention to Jesus and His words and call.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in Him.

Horatius had a great love for children, and his goal was to make many of his hymns easy to understand to little ones. We must use this hymn to teach our little ones about biblical truths.

 First verse "Come unto Me and rest" — based on Matthew 11:28–30.

Second verse "I freely give the living water" — based on John 4:10–14 and John 7:37–38.

Third verse "I am this dark world's Light" — based on John 8:12.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in Him my Star, my Sun;
and in that Light of life I’ll walk,
till trav'ling days are done.

Let us continue singing this hymn that is more than 175 years old.
​
In His service,
Israel
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 18:18:06 GMThttps://www.oakcrestbaptist.com/musical-notes/musical-notes7728032Hello OCBC family,
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

This verse is part of Peter’s message before the rulers, elders, and scribes. Peter and John had been arrested because they were preaching about Jesus and the resurrection (v. 2). The following day, these leaders asked them, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Peter’s response was a bold proclamation of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and the exclusivity of salvation through faith in Him. Peter’s words make it unmistakably clear that salvation is found in no one else. There is only one Savior, one way of salvation, and one name by which sinners can be reconciled to God: Jesus Christ.

Perhaps Peter’s declaration also brings to mind the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, when our Lord said: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13–14).

Peter’s message still powerful today, and it was powerful at the time of John Newton, when he wrote a loved hymn, “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds.”

I guess I don’t have to repeat to you about John Newton and his life and transformation after his encounter with Jesus, but just to remember, John Newton was a former slave trader, and Jesus found him, and he “was blind, but now he can see.”

“How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away His fear,
And drives away His fear.”

Newton’s purpose in this hymn is to show that the name of Jesus is not merely a name that is sweet to pronounce or mention. Rather, the sweetness of His name is found in the person and character of Christ revealed through His name. To speak of the name of Jesus is to speak of Jesus Himself—who He is, what He has done, and all that He is to His people.

Another stanza declares that Jesus is the Rock where we can run and find protection, and John Newton make this image very beautiful.

“Dear name--the rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place;
My never-failing treasure, filled
With boundless stores of grace,
With boundless stores of grace.”

The last stanza, in most of hymnals, describes Jesus with many of His offices.

“Jesus, my shepherd, brother, friend,
My prophet, priest, and King.
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring,
Accept the praise I bring.”

The theme of this hymn will be our theme in glory for all eternity, because we will adore this same Jesus, and His sweet name.
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In His service,
Israel
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