Hello OCBC family,
​
“His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And men shall be blessed in Him;
All nations shall call Him blessed.” (Psalm 72:17).

This verse is the last verse of psalm 72, before the doxology that closes Book Two of the Psalter. If you see the title of this psalm, you can read that is a Psalm of Solomon or a Psalm for Solomon. This psalm is about the coronation of Solomon, but ultimately it points to the greatest King to come, from the line of David, Jesus our God/man King. That's why we always talk about the already but not yet of the reign of Jesus. After his resurrection and ascension, he is our King, but this earth is still under the curse of the Fall, but one day his kingdom will be fulfilled when he returns to earth, as we can read in Revelation 11:15, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

This passage was the inspiration for Isaac Watts to write down his very popular hymn, “Jesus Shall Reign.” We have talked several times about Isaac Watts, being called the “father of English hymnody.” Why? Because he started to write hymns moving beyond strict psalm translations into more expressive Christian hymns. His plan and desire was to clothe the Psalms with New Testament truth, not that he did not agree with singing psalms, he wanted to make them have more Christian flavor on them for Christian worship. And this is the case of the hymn “Jesus Shall Reign.”

“Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Does its successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.” (Psalm 72:5, 8).

A point that I want to make clear to you all, is that Isaac Watts lived under the British Empire, a very strong empire at that time, but Watts, through this hymn, is telling them and us that it is Jesus, not George I, who will reign over the whole earth forever.

“People and realms of ev'ry tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song,
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His name.”

Because of the language of the hymn, many people called it the first missionary hymn, and many protestant churches used this hymn to send their missionaries to distant lands.

Eric Liddell, Scottish Olympian of the 1924 games in Paris, became a missionary in China, and before his departing to this remote land, he quoted Watts’ hymn. It is likely that he used a verse that is no longer in our modern hymnals but is a powerful one indeed.

“The saints shall flourish in His days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from His throne
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.”

One day in heaven we will join the choir where the apostles, saints, martyrs and all the redeemers are worshiping the Heavenly King, Jesus Christ. That day will come when we can sing together,

“Let ev'ry creature rise and bring
Honor and glory to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud ‘Amen’!”

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9).
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Today I am sharing two verses to introduce to you a loved hymn by Charles Wesley, a hymn that, at Oak Crest, we love to sing, “Rejoice, the Lord Is King.” These two verses depict Jesus' final weeks on earth. First, his entry into Jerusalem, prophesied by Zechariah. And then, Paul encourages us to rejoice in the Lord, for he is King and will return soon, and he is coming back because Ascension happened. Charles Wesley painted this wonderful picture.

This triumphal hymn was written during a hard time in the life and ministry of Charles Wesley. In the 1740s, Charles Wesley preached regularly on the street to thousands of people. But the opposition rose up, because his message was direct, calling many "sinners" and "Pharisees." This happened with a doctor in Wales, angry over Charles’ sermon, stormed up to him and demanded an apology for having been called a “Pharisee.”
Charles’s answer was direct, “ I still insist you are a Pharisee… My commission is to show you your sins, and I shall make no apology for so doing… You are a damned sinner.”

The doctor hit Charles with his cane, and a fight started, involving men and women from the crowd. Here is an entry in Charles’ diary from July 22, 1743:

I had just named my text at St. Ives... when an army of rebels broke in upon us... They began in a most outrageous manner, threatening to murder the people, if they did not go out that moment. They broke the sconces, dashed the windows in pieces, tore away the shutters... and all but the stone-walls. I stood silently looking on; but mine eyes were unto the Lord. They swore bitterly I should not preach there again; which I disproved, by immediately telling them Christ died for them all. Several times they lifted up their hands and clubs to strike me; but a stronger arm restrained them. They beat and dragged the women about, particularly one of a great age, and trampled on them without mercy. The longer they stayed, and the more they raged, the more power I found from above...

During these days, he wrote “Rejoice, the Lord Is King.”
“Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your 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!”

A message of comfort during hard times can be found in the third stanza.

“His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o'er earth and heav'n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv'n:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!”

And Charles Wesley uses the passage of Revelation 1:8 for this stanza, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Nothing—not even death—can defeat Christ’s rule.

Charles Wesley, even through hard times, was faithful to preach the gospel; what an example to follow.

Please use this hymn during your devotional time, rejoicing in the Lord because He is alive and reigns over all the universe.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16).

This beautiful passage by our brother Paul is a defense against the denial of the deity of Christ that was part of some members in the church of Colossian. Some scholars believe that these verses were part of an ancient hymn by an anonymous author that celebrated Christ as God, and Paul used it to make his point that Jesus is the Creator of everything, because “all things were created through Him and for Him.” John MacArthur said, “As God, Jesus created the material and spiritual universe for His pleasure and glory.”

This verse was the inspiration to Margaret Clarkson to write her hymn “We Come, O Christ, to You.”

“We come, O Christ, to you,
true Son of God and man,
by whom all things consist,
in whom all life began:
in you alone we live and move,
and have our being in your love.”

Margaret Clarkson was a Canadian hymn writer, poet and author with a very strong Reformed theology. Her hymns are deep in doctrine, and beside this hymn, in our hymnal we have another of her hymns, “O Father, You Are Sovereign.”

Margaret Clarkson wrote this hymn as part of her quiet time, focusing on the mystery and core Christian doctrine: the humanity and divinity of Christ, “true Son of God and man.” And because, she is pointing that Jesus is God in flesh, like the Bible teaches very clearly, her hymn tells us that Jesus is the Creator of everything; that his death is the substitutionary atonement; that He is judge and mediator; the He is the great I AM, therefore, He deserves our total devotion and praise.

“You are the Way to God,
your blood our ransom paid;
in you we face our Judge
and Maker unafraid.
Before the throne absolved we stand,
your love has met your law’s demand.”

The melody that we use for this lovely hymn is the same tune for “Rejoice, the Lord Is King.”

“We worship you, Lord Christ,
our Savior and our King,
to you our youth and strength
adoringly we bring:
so fill our hearts, that all may view
your life in us, and turn to you!”

Please, use this hymn during your quiet time, worshiping Jesus as your God and Savior.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
​
“8 He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8).

Last Sunday was a wonderful time celebrating our Savior, that one that was dead but now is alive forevermore, and while I was studying a lovely hymn, “Thine Is the Glory”, I learned that this hymn used Isaiah 25:8 as its basis. Paul used this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:54 to say that this passage is fulfilled in the resurrection of the believers, but we will resurrect because our Savior was the first-fruit of those who have fallen asleep.

The author of this hymn is Edmond Louis Budry (1854–1932), a Swiss Protestant pastor and hymn writer. He went to the Lausanne  seminary, and served for over thirty-five years at his church, Free Church in Vevey, until his retirement. He became popular for his translation works, translating hymns from German, English, and Latin. In fact, he wrote this hymn, “Thine Is the Glory”, in French. The version that we sing in English was made by Richard Birch Hoyle, an English Baptist minister.

“Thine is the glory, Risen, conq'ring Son;
Endless is the victo'ry Thou o'er death hath won.
Angels in bright raiment Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave-clothes Where Thy body lay.”

The hymn clearly has a message about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, nevertheless, this hymn became popular for weddings and even funerals, perhaps because the lyrics are simple, powerful, and celebratory. And the majesty of the melody.

The melody is by George Frederick Handel, the famous German-British composer, the same one who wrote the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. The melody of this hymn comes from another of his oratorios, “Judas Maccabeaus.” In his original work, Handel uses this melody to celebrate the victory of this hero. Now, with the lyrics of Budry, we can celebrate our hero, the one that conquered death, Jesus Christ.

“Lo! Jesus meets us, Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, Scatters fear and gloom,
Let His church with gladness Hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth; Death hath lost its sting.”

And one more theme that this hymn points to, the assurance of eternal life of the believers.

“No more we doubt Thee, Glorious Prince of life!
Life is naught without Thee; Aide us in our strife,
Make us more than conq'rors, Thro' Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe thro' Jordon To Thy home above.”

Paul tells us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 9:37).

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday, but as believers we must celebrate Resurrection Day every day, because our Redeemer lives.

“Thine is the glory, risen, conq'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry Thou o'er death hath won.”

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,

“3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5).

This passage is one of my favorites to read during this time of the year, remembering the death of my Savior, the Christ, the Messiah, the Suffering Servant. This passage, this prophecy teaches us about a powerful doctrine, the doctrine of substitution. Christ died in our place. The Servant suffered not for His own sin, because He is sinless, but he is the substitute for sinners. These verses are the basis of the hymn “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted.”

“Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
see Him dying on the tree!
'Tis the Christ by man rejected;
yes, my soul, 'tis He, 'tis He!
'Tis the long-expected Prophet,
David's Son, yet David's Lord;
by His Son God now has spoken;
'tis the true and faithful Word.”

The author of this hymn was an Irish clergyman, Thomas Kelly, born on July 13, 1769, Dublin, Ireland. He was, also an evangelical preacher and hymn writer. Because of his earnest preaching, the Archbishop of Ireland prohibited him to preach in the city. His sermons were about salvation by faith, and that is why the religious authorities were against him. He had to look for independent chapels so he could continue with his ministry.

“Ye who think of sin but lightly,
nor suppose the evil great,
here may view its nature rightly,
here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed;
see who bears the awful load;
'tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.”

Being a clergyman, a pastor, a theologian, he was able to write several hymns with a deep theology, like this one. Thomas Kelly in this hymn, teaches us about Christ’s suffering, Substitutionary Atonement, Human Sinfulness, and a Call to reflection and repentance.

The melody, in a minor key, is a very somber and meditative one, which reinforces the gravity of the text. With the connection of the lyrics and the melody, this hymn sound like a funeral tune, which is not far from the truth, because with this hymn we remember the death of our Lord.

“Here we have a firm foundation,
here the refuge of the lost:
Christ the Rock of our salvation,
His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
who on Him their hope have built.”

Please, use this hymn as a meditation during your quiet time, and think about the sacrifice of our Savior on the cross for our sins.
​
In His service,
Israel