Hello OCBC family,
“For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98:9).
“Joy to the World” is not a Christmas hymn. This sentence might be a little hard to believe for many people, but the reality is that this lovely hymn never talks about Jesus’ birth. Yes, the first phrase says,  “Joy to the world! the Lord is come” but the background of this hymn is Psalm 98, which is about the second coming of the Lord.

Nevertheless, this hymn is good to be sung during Christmas time, any time of the year, like Easter season, but also it can be used as a missionary hymn.
Who is the author of “Joy to the World”? Many of you know about the author, Isaac Watts. The son of a schoolmaster from Southampton. Isaac Watts was born on July 17, 1674, and he was a very smart child, starting to learn Latin when he was four years old, and able to write fine poems when he was seven.

During this time, churches in Britain, especially churches in Scotland, sang just the Psalms for their worship services, and Watts become dissatisfied with the quality of singing, and he felt that the churches have a limitation only singing these Psalms, so he “invented” the English hymn.

Now, let us make clear that Watts did not neglect the Psalms, in fact he created a particular hymnal where he translated, interpreted and paraphrased the Old Testament Psalm through the eyes  of New Testament faith. The name of this collection was “The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament” and “Joy to the World” was part of this collection, like “O God Our Help in Ages Past” (Psalm 90).

“Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

The melody is a work from Lowell Mason, and for many years people thought that the composer George F. Handel wrote the melody, but this is wrong. Lowell Mason, a musician born in Massachusetts in 1792, called the “Father of American church music” used parts of Handel’s famous oratorio “Messiah” to compose the melody for “Joy to the World.” The firth phrase of “Joy to the World” is from the choral piece “Lift up Your  Heads” a setting of Psalm 24, and the second part of “Joy to the World” uses the tenor solo called “Comfort Ye My People” a setting of Isaiah 40.

“No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.”

So, during this Christmas season, sing this hymn and praise the Lord, because, after all, our Messiah has come to save us, and one day he is coming back to take us home.

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family.

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1).
If you are familiar with the book of Psalms, you know that the whole book of Psalms is divided into 5 books, and Psalm 89 is the last psalm of the Book 3 of the psaltery.

The author of this Psalm is Ethan the Ezrahite, a Levite leader and possibly one of the head musicians in the temple.
The theme of the psalm is about God’s promise to preserve David’s descendants. And this promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who will reign for all eternity.

The hymn that I am bringing to you today is the hymn called, “My Song Forever Shall Record” based on this psalm.

“My song forever shall record
the tender mercies of the LORD;
Thy faithfulness will I proclaim,
and every age shall know Thy name.
I sing of mercies that endure,
forever builded firm and sure,
of faithfulness that never dies,
established changeless in the skies.”

Who is the author of this hymn? We don’t know. Many hymnals just say, “based on Psalm 89.” At this point this is more than enough to sing this part of God’s word. Just enjoy the promises of God to be found in this psalm, and in Jesus, the one and only real King.

“With blessing is the nation crowned
whose people know the joyful sound;
they in the light, O Lord, shall live,
the light your face and favor give.
All glory unto God we yield,
who is our constant help and shield;
all praise and honor we will bring
to you, the Holy One, our King.”

And Psalm 89:52, being the final verse of Book 3 of Psalms, ended with a doxology.

“Blessed be the Lord forevermore! Amen and Amen.”

​
In His service,
Israel.

Hello OCBC family,
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3).

This beloved psalm has been an inspiration for believers through centuries. This psalm gave comfort to Christians because they know that the Lord is not just a distant God, but a Great Shepherd. Psalm 100:3 makes this very clear, “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

The consolation of Psalm 23 gave an idea for a hymn. The name of the hymn is “God Leads Us Along” and its author was George Young.

Young was a carpenter by trade, and he and his wife did some evangelism ministry, sharing the gospel everywhere they went. They said that the Lord led them to preach to those who were in darkness.

“In shady, green pastures,
So rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along.
Where the water's cool flow
Bathes the weary one's feet,
God leads His dear children along.
​
Sometimes on the mount
Where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along.
Sometimes in the valley,
In darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.”

The Youngs had a small house that George built with great effort, and which was dedicated to God and to the service of the Lord's work.

During a ministry trip far away from home, somebody, who was very offended by Young’s preaching, set their home on fire, and the Youngs lost everything there.

As George gazed at the ruins, he started to count his real possessions, his family, his relationship with Christ, his ministry, his eternal home, and then, he wrote his lovely hymn “God Leads Us Along.”

“Though sorrows befall us
And Satan oppose,
God leads His dear children along.
Through grace we can conquer,
Defeat all our foes;
God leads His dear children along.”

During this thanksgiving season, let us remember that our Lord, the Great Shepherd, will lead us along. Give thanks to Him, because He is good all the time.

“Some through the waters,
Some through the flood,
Some through the fire,
But all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow,
but God gives a song
In the night season
And all the day long.”

Happy Thanksgiving!
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3).
This passage by our brother Paul tells us that we put on a new self. In the context, verse 1, Paul says, “if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is.” Doing this, Paul says now that our lives are hidden with Christ. This is not only a future hope, but an accomplished fact right now. Our work and service and conduct do not earn our salvation, but they are the result of our salvation; we are in Christ.

This verse was the inspiration for the lovely hymn, “I Am His, and He Is Mine” or “Loved with Everlasting Love.” The author was an Irish pastor named George Wade Robinson. He was born in Cork, Ireland in 1838. He attended college in Dublin and London, and became a pastor in churches in Dublin, London and Brighton.

“Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace!
O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.”

Robinson wrote several books of poems, and this hymn is part of one of those books. You can tell about his talent to write poetry even in this same hymn. Read the second stanza.

“Heav'n above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in ev'ry hue
Christ-less eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o'er flow,
Flow'rs with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.”

Some people believe that, beside the passage of Colossians, Robinson got the inspiration for this hymn after hearing D. L. Moody preaching and personal testimony during his evangelistic campaign.

Let me share what Robert J. Morgan says about this hymn.
“The presence of Christ in our hearts makes the sun brighter, the sky bluer, the grass greener, the birds sweeter, and the flowers lovelier – since we know, as now we know, that ‘I am His, and He is mine.’”

“His forever, only His;
Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss
Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav'n and earth may fade and flee,
Firstborn light in gloom decline,
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.
Firstborn light in gloom decline,
But while God and I shall be,
I am His, and He is mine.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Romans 5:20).

During my Sunday school class, we are abiding in the book of Romans for several months and it has been a wonderful experience, and the passage that I am sharing right now is a very powerful one. Paul is teaching here that while the Law exposed and even amplified our awareness of sin, God’s grace surpasses it entirely. No matter how great the sin, God’s grace is greater still — not to excuse sin, but to overcome it through the work of Christ.

This passage was the inspiration for Julia H. Johnston to write these words,
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.”

Who was Julia H. Johnston? We don’t know too much about her life, just that she was born on January 21, 1849, in Salineville, Ohio. Her father was a pastor, and her mother was a poet. Julia herself became a poet, starting with some simple poems at age of nine, but during high school she became very popular for her writing. She is the author of more than 500 hymns. Her spiritual background was Presbyterian, and her love for missions was big, no wonder why she wrote many hymns about grace, and salvation.

“Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.”

The song describes the Christian doctrine of grace and justification by faith articulated in the letter to the Romans in Romans 5:1-2 and 14-16. The name of the melody is ‘Moody” because the composer, Daniel B. Towner, was the director of the music department of Moody Bible Institute.

Johnston worked as a Sunday school superintendent and teacher for over forty years and served as president of the Presbyterian Missionary Society. Julia H. Johnston died in Peoria, Illinois on March 6, 1919 at the age of seventy.

“Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe;
All who are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?”

This hymn has been a blessing for many believers, and a tool to share the gospel to those who are still in darkness.

“Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

Sola Gratia.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great.” (1 Chronicles 21:13).
“O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.”

This is the first stanza of a very powerful hymn called, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me God” written by George Matheson, a scotch minister. He was born in Glasgow, March 27, 1842. He was a very smart young man, but he had poor eyesight. Nevertheless, he graduated from Glasgo University at the age of nineteen. But when he started his studies for ministry, he became totally blind.

A great help for him was his own sister. This young lady became a student as well, learning Greek and Hebrew to help her brother during his studies.
Matheson became a faithful preacher, his congregation loved him, but a sad moment came into his personal life. He was engaged with a young lady, but his fiancé, unwilling to be married to a blind man, broke their engagement and returned his ring.

This pain of rejection never left him. Years after, his own sister came with the news that she was engaged and ready to marry a young man, George was happy for her, but his mind went back to his own heartache. It was this moment that he remembered and comforted himself with the idea that God’s love will never leave him. During this sad moment he wrote this hymn.

“O Light that foll'west all my way,
I yield my flick'ring torch to Thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine's glow its day
May brighter, fairer be.”

About this hymn, the author tells of its writing:
“It was composed with extreme rapidity, and I felt myself rather in a position of one who was being dictated to than of an original artist. I was suffering from extreme mental distress, and the hymn was the fruit of pain.”

He was a preacher in a small church in Innellan, and during a particular Sunday evening service, when the crowd was very small, he felt discouraged, nevertheless, he preached his very well prepared sermon. In the audience was a visitor for the large St. Bernard’s Church in Edinburg, which was seeking a pastor. In 1886, Matheson became the pastor at St. Bernard’s where he became one of Scotland’s favorite preachers.

“O Joy that seekest me thro' pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow thro' the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to hide from Thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red,
Life that shall endless be.”

Read this hymn and you can find that it is like a small sermon. Use it during your quiet time, it will be a blessing for your soul.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

“Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best--
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.”

                These words are the first stanza of the very familiar hymn, “Day by Day”, a powerful hymn written by Caroline V. Sandell-Berg, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor. She was born in Frvderyd, Sweden, on October 3, 1832. She was a little fragile in health but very strong in her spirit. She would rather be in her father’s studio than playing outside with her friends.

                She started to write hymns when she was very young, but she became more productive to create hymns after a sad and traumatic experience.

                “Lina” as her relatives called her, was very close to her father and going places with him when he had to preach or minister to people. But one day, Lina and her father were enjoying a boat trip on the east coast of Sweden near Gothenburg when the boat suddenly lurched and she witnessed her father die.

                After this event, Lina processed her grief through Scripture and writing poetry. Many of these poems became hymns. Seven years later, she wrote her best-known hymn, “Day by Day.”

“Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.”

                She wrote 650 hymns and that is why people started to call her the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden.”

Lina was married to a Stockholm merchant, C. O. Berg in 1867. Sadly, she passed away in 1903 in Stockholm, Sweden.

                You might have a hard time right now, but you can find strength in the Word of God as Lina did, and you can also take this grand old hymn into the day with you.

“Help me then in ev'ry tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.”
​
                In His service,
                Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3)

                This powerful and beautiful psalm was written by the sons of Korah and it became the inspiration for Martin Luther to write his famous hymn, “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott” – “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

Martin Luther was born at Eisleben, November 10, 1483, and went to the University of Erfurt, 1501 (B.A. 1502, M.A.. 1503); became an Augustinian monk, 1505; ordained priest, 1507; appointed Professor at the University of Wittenberg, 1508, and in 1512. Because of his titles and education, normally we think of Luther as a Bible translator, political leader, and theologian, we forget that he was also a great musician. Young Martin grew up listening to his mother singing all the time. He was part of a boys’ choir that sang at weddings and funerals. He became proficient with the flute (recorder).

Before the Protestant Reformation, congregations couldn’t participate in worship, because it was dominated by professional singers and it was in Latin, therefore most of the congregation didn’t know what they were doing during worship time. Martin Luther was determined to restore worship to the German Church. His desire was for the congregation to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to be sung in the vernacular. People now can sing,
“A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow'r are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not His equal.”

                Some people called this hymn “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation” but Martin Luther called it “Ein Trost Psalm,” meaning “a psalm of comfort.” He said, “We sing this psalm to praise God for being with us. He miraculously preserves His Word and Christendom against the gates of hell.”

                The melody is very easy to follow, and this is because Luther “borrowed” popular secular melodies for his hymns, and “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” is not an exception.

“Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And tho' this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thro' us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.”

                “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” became very popular among churches, and it became a big influence in classical music. Johann Sebastian Bach, the famous Lutheran classical composer,  wrote a whole cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra, based on Luther’s hymn to celebrate Reformation Day. Georg Telemann wrote a choral arrangement based on the melody of Luther. Felix Mendelssohn used this melody in the last movement of his Symphony No. 5, that he called Reformation.  Giacomo Meyerbeer quoted it in his five-act grand opera Les Huguenots, a sweet drama about the love between a catholic lady and a protestant young man. This drama ended with the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572.

                This hymn is a powerful testimony of trusting in God as our refuge for hard moments. Christian, sing this hymn at church, at home, alone, with your family, with all your strength, and trust in God’s words when he says to us,

“‘Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” (Psalm 46:10-11)
“That word above all earthly pow'rs,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thro' Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.”

                In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.” (Psalm 46:4).

We are very familiar with this psalm, especially because this psalm was used by Martin Luther to create his famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” But it was another person, another believer, that used this hymn to create another beautiful hymn, her name was Frances R. Havergal, and the hymn is “Like a River Glorious.”

Frances R. Havergal was the daughter of W. H. Havergal, a pastor in Astley, Worcestershire. She was born on December 14, 1836. In August 1850, she entered Mrs. Teed's school, whose influence over her was most beneficial. In the following year she said, "I committed my soul to the Saviour, and earth and heaven seemed brighter from that moment."

In 1876, while she was on vacation in the south of Wales, she became sick and suffered inflammation of the lungs. Somebody told her that she might die, and her answer was, “If I am really going, it is too good to be true.” Her hope was always in her Lord. The same year she wrote these lyrics,

“Like a river glorious
Is God's perfect peace,
Over all victorious
In its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth
Fuller ev'ry day;
Perfect, yet it groweth
Deeper all the way.”

Let me share about her last days on this earth from the book “Then Sing My Soul” by James Robison.

                Three years later, while meeting some boys to talk with them about the Lord, she ran into cold, wet weather and became chilled. As her fever grew worse, her family became alarmed. It gradually became apparent that Frances was dying. On Whitsunday, as one of her doctors left the room, he said, “Goodbye, I shall not see you again,”
                “Then you really think I am going?” asked Frances.
                “Yes.”
                “Today?”
                “Probably.”
                “Beautiful,” said Frances. “Too good to be true.”
                Soon afterward she looked up smiling and said, “splendid to be so near the gates of heaven!” She asked her brother to sing some hymns to her, then he said to her, “You have talked and written a great deal about the King, and you will soon see Him in His beauty.”
                “It’s splendid!” she replied. “I thought He would have left me here a long while; but He is so good to take me now.”
                A little later she whispered, “Come, Lord Jesus, come and fetch me.”

Frances Havergal died when she was 42 years old, and she wrote several books and hymns. Beside “Like a River Glorious” she wrote also, “Take My Life and Let It be Consecrated,” “Lord, Speak to Me, that I May Speak,” and “I Gave My Life for Thee.”

“Like a River Glorious” is an example that even during hard times, God gives peace, comfort and inspiration to create words of worship for his glory through weak people.

“Ev'ry joy or trial
Falleth from above,
Trac'd upon our dial
By the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully
All for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly
Find Him wholly true.
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blessed;
Finding, as he promised,
Perfect peace and rest.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family, 
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4).

We are very familiar with the hymn “Amazing Grace” and its author John Newton, but perhaps you don’t know that John Newton has more hymns that he wrote while he was a pastor in his local church. One of those hymns is “I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow.”

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and ev'ry grace,
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek more earnestly his face.

'Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust, has answered prayer,
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once he'd answer my request,
And by his love's constraining power,
Subdue my sins and give me rest.

John Newton used various passages to write this hymn, especially James 1:2-4, where we learn that affliction brings maturity to every believer. James is telling us that trials are a normal part of the Christian life, and John Newton knew about this in his very personal life.

Let me just repeat some parts of Newton’s life just to make the point about this passage and his hymn. John Newton was born in a Christian home, but his mother died when he was very young, and he joined his father at sea when John was 11. When he grew up, his life changed, and he became a very unchristian person. He became ungodly that he was a captain of a slave ship. He heard the gospel and his life changed, he accepted the call to be a pastor, proving that his affliction helped him to have joy in his new life.

Instead of this, he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of Hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea, more with his own hand he seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe,
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Cast out my feelings, laid me low.

Lord, “Why is this?” I trembling cried,
“Will you pursue your worm to death?”
“’Tis in this way,” The Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”

In the Holman Illustrated Commentary we can read about James’ passage in these words. “Endurance indicates that further work must be done for the purpose of making the believer mature and complete, lacking nothing. Immaturity and incompletion are not acceptable long-term states for the Christian disciple.”

The melody that we are familiar with, people called it an American melody, but its origin is Irish and Scottish, but became popular in the Appalachia, because of immigrants.

Be faithful to the Lord all the time, because He is faithful all the time, and He will help you during your trials.

“These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set you free
And break your schemes of earthly joy
That you would seek your all in me.”
​
In His service,
Israel