Today’s hymn comes from the great hymn writer Charles Wesley. It tells of the wonderful truth that Jesus has died for us, and the joy unspeakable that comes from grasping this truth. I hope this is your song today, enjoy!
Jesus hath died that I might live, Might live to God alone; In Him eternal life receive, And be in spirit one.
Saviour, I thank Thee for the grace, The gift unspeakable, And wait with arms of faith to embrace, And all Thy love to feel.
My soul breaks out in strong desire The perfect bliss to prove; My longing heart is all on fire To be dissolved in love.
Give me Thyself; from every boast, From every wish set free; Let all I am in Thee be lost; But give Thyself to me.
Thy gifts, alas, cannot suffice Unless Thyself be given; Thy presence makes my paradise, And where Thou art is heaven!
Today’s hymn comes from Isaac Watts, centred around the eternal majesty of Yahweh. Surely meditating on the wonderful characteristics of our God will fill your heart with praise? Enjoy below a short meditation about this hymn from Alistair Begg.
The Lord eternal reigns, his throne is built on high; the kingly robes he wears are light and majesty: his glories shine with beams so bright no mortal eye can bear the sight.
The thunders of his hand keep the wide world in awe; his wrath and justice stand to guard his holy law; and where his love resolves to bless his truth confirms and seals the grace.
Through all his mighty works amazing wisdom shines, confounds the powers of hell and breaks their cursed designs; strong is his arm, and shall fulfil his great decrees and sovereign will.
And can this glorious King to human hearts descend? And will he write his name my Father and my friend? I love his name, I love his word; let all my being praise the Lord!
Today’s hymn comes from a collaboration with Chris Anderson and Bob Kauflin from Sovereign Grace. “Written in 2017 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation…the song highlights the 5 Solas of the Reformation—Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Fide (faith alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone)—and gives a nod to the great hymn writer Martin Luther by pointing worshipers to Christ.”1 Enjoy!
We will trust God’s Word alone, Where his perfect will is known; Our traditions shift like sand While his Truth forever stands.
We will live by faith alone, Clothed in merit not our own; All we claim is Jesus Christ And his finished sacrifice.
Refrain: Glory be, glory be to God alone, Through the church he redeemed and made his own. He has freed us, he will keep us till we’re safely home Glory be, glory be to God alone!
We are saved by grace alone— Undeserved, yet freely shown; No accomplishment on earth Can achieve the second birth.
We will stand on Christ alone, The unyielding Cornerstone; Nations rage and devils roar, Still he reigns forevermore!
Today’s hymn comes from Haldor Lillenas (1885-1959). Newly married and setting up house with his young bride, Haldor Lillenas wondered how he was going to provide for his family after barely pulling together enough money to finish building their home. When a neighbor offered a dusty organ Haldor eagerly it and set about composing. As he settled into family life, he wrote many songs on that first, imperfect instrument. One of the early compositions Haldor wrote on that five-dollar organ was “Wonderful Grace of Jesus”. He wrote over 4,000 hymns in his lifetime and he went on to found his own music publishing company1. Enjoy this one!
Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin; how shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin? Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free, for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Refrain: Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea, higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me; broader than the scope of my transgressions, sing it! greater far than all my sin and shame. O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name!
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost, by it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost. Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty, for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. [Refrain]
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most reviled, by its transforming power making me God’s dear child, purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity, for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. [Refrain]
Today’s hymn is written by Horatius Bonar, a Scottish minister in the 19th Century. I hope this can be your testimony too today, that you have a mind at perfect peace with God; enjoy!
A mind at perfect peace with God, Oh! what a word is this! A sinner reconciled thro’ blood; This, this indeed is peace!
By nature and by practice far, How very far from God; Yet now by grace bro’t nigh to Him, Thro’ faith in Jesus’ blood.
So near, so very near to God, I cannot nearer be; For in the person of His Son I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God, More dear I cannot be; The love wherewith He loves the Son; Such is His love to me!
Why should I ever careful be, Since such a God is mine? He watches o’er me night and day, And tells me “Mine is thine.”t
Today’s song is vintage Sovereign Grace, going back to 2006! I hope you’re also able to rejoice in God today. Enjoy!
All the earth rejoice Your Creator reigns As the only awesome God The Alpha and the Omega Who was, is, and is to come Let the oceans roar and the mountains sing He provides for all He has made So be comforted as He rules with grace Rejoice, all the earth, rejoice
All the world rejoice For the baby comes As a humble prince in the night The Word made flesh, Emmanuel The Everlasting Light Let the warmth of heaven reach the coldest heart With the gospel of His grace For His heel will bruise the serpent’s head Rejoice, all the world, rejoice
All the church rejoice For your King returns On a white horse wearing a crown He will break the sky with the angel’s shout Descending from the clouds Then the dead will rise from the land and sea All His people will ascend We will reign with Him for eternity Rejoice, all the church, rejoice
Today’s song is by Sovereign Grace and I’m sure was sung by many of your churches on Reformation Sunday – the Sunday before Martin Luther historically nailed his 95 thesis to the doors of a Wittenberg church on 31 October 1517. This song unashamedly celebrates the 5 tenants of the Reformation: we come to God by faith alone, a gift of God’s grace alone, given to us through the work of Christ alone, with all authority given to God’s word alone, to the glory of God alone. Gloria!
Your Word alone is solid ground, The mighty rock on which we build; In every line the truth is found And every page with glory filled.
Through faith alone we come to You; We have no merit we can claim. Sure that Your promises are true, We place our hope in Jesus’ name.
Refrain Gloria, gloria, glory to God alone; Gloria, gloria, glory to God alone.
In Christ alone we’re justified; His righteousness is all our plea; Your law’s demands are satisfied; His perfect work has set us free.
Refrain
By grace alone we have been saved; All that we are has come from You. Hearts that were once by sin enslaved Now by Your pow’r have been made new.
Today’s hymn is from the Lutheran Service Book and written by Stephen P. Starke. Starke had always had a heart for hymns and played hymns out of The Lutheran Hymnal and read through the hymnal to pass the time before Sunday services at a young age. He has written more than 175 hymns inspired by music and the Scriptures. This hymn is a versification of the Te Deumlaudamus.” Te Deum laudamus is Latin and means “God, We Praise You.” It is “traditionally sung on occasions of public rejoicing. Enjoy!
We praise You and acknowledge You, O God, to be the Lord, The Father everlasting, by all the earth adored. To You all angel powers cry aloud, the heavens sing, The cherubim and seraphim their praises to You bring: “O holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth; Your majesty and glory fill the heavens and the earth!”
The band of the apostles in glory sing Your praise; The fellowship of prophets their deathless voices raise. The martyrs of Your kingdom, a great and noble throng, Sing with the holy Church throughout all the world this song: “O all-majestic Father, Your true and only Son, And Holy Spirit, Comforter— forever Three in One!”
You, Christ, are King of glory, the everlasting Son, Yet You, with boundless love, sought to rescue ev’ryone: You laid aside Your glory, were born of virgin’s womb, Were crucified for us and were placed into a tomb; Then by Your resurrection You won for us reprieve— You opened heaven’s kingdom to all who would believe.
You sit in splendid glory, enthroned at God’s right hand, Upholding earth and heaven by forces You command. We know that You will come as our Judge that final day, So help Your servants You have redeemed by blood, we pray; May we with saints be numbered where praises never end, In glory everlasting. Amen, O Lord, amen!
Today’s hymn is from Theodulph of Orleans, written roughly 820. Charlemagne brought him from Spain to help him build schools and reform the clergy, where he also started to write hymns. Theodulph got caught up in a family dispute between Charlemagne’s son King Louis and Louis’s nephew King Bernard of Italy, where Louis thought he was conspiring with Bernard. He was then thrown into prison where he wrote the 78(!) verses of this hymn. It is said that King Louis freed Theodulph upon hearing him sing this hymn from outside the prison window. This hymn was then translated from Latin to English by John Mason Neale in 1854, who became part of a moment that researched Roman liturgy and hymnody for English use. Other hymns he translated were “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”, and “Good Christian Men, Rejoice”1. Enjoy!
All glory, laud, and honour To Thee, Redeemer, King! To Whom the lips of children Made sweet Hosannas ring,
Thou art the King of Israel Thou David’s Royal Son, Who in the LORD’S name comest,` The King and Blessèd One.
The people of the Hebrews With palms before Thee went Our praise and prayers and anthems Before Thee we present.
To Thee before Thy Passion They sang their hymns of praise; To Thee now high exalted Our melody we raise.
Thou didst accept their praises; Accept the praise we bring, Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King.
1 page 79 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church
This song is written by UK collective Joyful Noise, with the chorus of this song coming straight from Psalm 115:1. We can be so quick to seek glory for ourselves, but this song reminds us that God alone is our creator, He alone is our redeemer, and He alone gives us the grace to persevere all the way to heaven. He alone deserves all the glory. Enjoy!
All the glory, Lord to You! For in the secret place Each life you fashioned through and through In fearful wonder made! What have we but given by you? To our God all honour due! You who also made the stars Yours the glory never ours
Refrain Not unto us, not unto us But all the glory unto you! For your great love and faithfulness We give the glory all to you!
Though the world may praise our deeds You search much deeper in You see our pride you see our greed, You see our darkest sin You the seeker, we the lost Ours the sin, and yours the cross Yours the love that took our place Yours the glory, ours the grace!
Refrain
Hopeless lies the road ahead If in our strength we go Our only hope to run the course Is in your strength alone Every battle every race Won by your empowering grace When our fearful faith is small God of grace you give us all!
