Hello 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

Hello OCBC family,
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 – NKJV).

This powerful and beautiful passage exalts our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. God the Father give Him a name which is above all names, the sweet name of Jesus, and this is a call to the whole creation to worship Jesus Christ as Lord.

Many scholars believe that this section in this Pauline letter is a Pre-Pauline hymn, and Paul used this ancient song to explain about Christ’s humility and exaltation.

These verses became the inspiration to Baylus Benjamin McKinney (1886–1952) to write down the hymn “Glorious Is Thy Name.” McKinney was a Baptist hymn writer, music editor, teacher, and church musician. For several years he was a music teacher in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth. He was the editor of the Broadman Hymnal, a very popular hymnal in the first half of the 20th century.

McKenney divided “Glorious Is Thy Name” into four themes. The first stanza is about adoration.

“Blessed Saviour, we adore thee;
we thy love and grace proclaim.
Thou art mighty; thou art holy.
Glorious is thy matchless name!”

The second stanza points to the work of our Lord Jesus the Christ, the redemption.

“Great Redeemer, Lord and Master,
light of all eternal days,
let the saints of every nation
sing thy just and endless praise!”

In the third stanza, McKinney is focusing on Incarnation and Atonement.

“From the throne of heaven's glory
to the cross of sin and shame,
thou didst come to die a ransom,
guilty sinners to reclaim!”

Lastly, McKinney focuses in the fourth stanza about Christ’s return and kingship.

“Come, O come, immortal Saviour,
come and take thy royal throne.
Come, and reign, and reign forever;
be the kingdom all thine own!”

B. B. McKinney’s hymn is an explosion of adoration to our Lord and Master, and we can repeat the words of the refrain as a response of worship.

“Glorious, is thy name, O Lord!”

Please, use this hymn as part of your quiet time, and worship your God and Savior.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” (1 Peter 3:22 – NKJV).

Peter shares this verse with us, which concludes this section on suffering for doing good. First, he encourages us not to do evil for evil; moreover, he encourages us to bless others because that is what we have been called to do. “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (3:9). Even so, Peter encourages us to be ready to defend our faith, to be prepared to correct those who have a question about our faith. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (3:15). And Peter tells us “For it is better to suffer for doing good.” Why?

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” (3:18). What a passage, closing with our first verse, pointing out that he was a witness, at least of the first part, “who has gone into heaven” which reminds us of the verses of Acts 9-11, “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,  and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’” This Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” is the same Jesus that we adore and also the same Jesus that inspired Edward Perronet to write down his famous and powerful hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”

This hymn first appeared as an anonymous work in The Gospel Magazine, edited by Augustus Toplady (the author of “Rock of Ages”). Later, it was revealed that the author was Edward Perronet. His grandparents were protestant and they had to flee Catholic France, first going to Switzerland, then to England. There Edward’s father became a vicar of the Anglican Church, and Edward followed his example several years after.

He became a close friend of the Wesleys, traveling with them and preaching on the streets. His goal was to bring glory to God through his preaching of the gospel.

“All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!”

In some point, Edward broke with the Wesleys over various Methodist policies, and John Wesley excluded Perronet’s hymns from Methodist hymnals. Then he became a pastor of a small independent church in Canterbury.

“O seed of Israel's chosen race
now ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!”

Edward died on January 22, 1792. His last words were: Glory to God in the height of His divinity!  Glory to God in the depth of His humanity! Glory to God in His all-sufficiency! Into His hands I commend my spirit.

The hymn is a call to worship Jesus but also is a call to share the gospel.

“Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all;
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all.”

Remember the words of Hebrews 1:6,
“Let all God's angels worship him.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:1-3).

This wonderful psalm is the last psalm written by David; after this psalm, the rest of them are anonymous. This is a personal invitation from David to extol and celebrate the King of Eternity for who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised. This psalm is an acrostic design using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet for each stanza. If we use a musical term, this psalm goes in crescendo of praise that completes the Psalter and might be called “The Final Hallel” (Psalms 145-150).

This psalm has been inspiration for many composers through the ages from Gregorian chants to classical composers, to western culture to native culture from different countries and cultures, and for hymn writers. One of these hymn writers is Charles Wesley.

He wrote the famous and loved hymn “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” Charles Wesley is the brother of the famous methodist preacher John Wesley. Being ordained in the Church of England, Charles (and John as well), did not have assurance about his personal salvation. It was through the preaching of Moravian pastors that he became a real believer. One of these pastors was Peter Böhler. This pastor said one time, “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all.”

Because of this phrase and using Psalm 145, Charles Wesley wrote his popular hymn.

“O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!”

Charles wrote this hymn for the first anniversary of his conversion, May 1738. The hymn was placed first in John Wesley's A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists published in 1780.

Originally this hymn had 18 stanzas, but now, most of the hymnals just publish 4, 5 or 6 stanzas. There are many stanzas that have a strong language that might not be good for a worship service, or perhaps, yes. Let me share with you, stanza 15 and 16,

“Harlots, and publicans, and thieves,
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes,
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers, and all ye hellish crew,
Ye sons of lust and pride,
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Saviour died.”

Another wonderful stanza is this one,

“He breaks the pow'r of canceled sin,
He sets the pris'ner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.”

On this stanza, Wesley is telling us that the gospel justifies and sanctifies and believers are freed from sin's dominion.

Let us join our voices to celebrate our Master and God, because He saved us from our sin.

“My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro' all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.”

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty.” (Psalm 104:1).

In this psalm, like in psalm 103, the psalmist is calling his own soul to bless the Lord, to worship the true God. The psalmist called God great, and pictures him clothed with honor and majesty, a similar picture of the vision of Isaiah, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1).

The whole psalm is telling us that our God is the King of the universe, that He is the Ruler of His creation, and that He is the King of kings.

Because of the study about this psalm, Robert Grant wrote the very familiar hymn, “O Worship the King.”

Robert Grant was born in Bengal, India in 1779, and he received his education at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He became a member of the Parliament and served as governor of Bombay (now Mumbai, India).

He was a member of the Anglican Church, with a very evangelical spirit, very devout and a follower of Christ. Being a citizen of the British Empire, he was very familiar with royalty and monarchy, but because he was a true believer, he knew that the real King was Jesus and not William IV.

“O worship the King, all glorious above,
And gratefully sing His wonderful love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.”

Robert Grant used verses 2 and 3 to write the second stanza,

“O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space!
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.”

And my favorite stanza is the last one, with a clear message, the contrast of human weakness with God's unfailing faithfulness.

“Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail:
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”

Robert Grant, being part of the parliament, he advocated to remove the civil disabilities imposed on Jewish people in Britain.

He was Judge Advocate General in 1832, and his hymn was published in 1833, and he was knighted in 1834. Soon thereafter, he returned to Bombay to be the governor there. He died there on July 9, 1838. He was a knight of the British Empire, a member of the Parliament, governor in India, a medical college was named after him, but now we remember him for the powerful hymn that calls us to worship the King of kings.

In His service,
​
Israel