Sunday, January 31, 2010 pm
AT CALVARY
It was written by
William R. Newell (1868-1956) who was born in Ohio and put to music by
Daniel B. Towner. Newell wrote
this song about his own life.
According to one resource, he was a “troubled and wayward
teenager”. His concerned
father wrote to the president of Moody Bible institute and pleaded with
them to enroll him. The
college was somewhat hesitant, because it was intended for serious Bible
students. However they
agreed with the provision that Newell would meet every day with the
president and take his studies seriously.
There was still some struggles and Newell did not graduate from
the Institute. HOWEVER years
later, he returned as an instructor at Moody Bible Institute and
eventually became assistant superintendent.
http://www.faithclipart.com/guide/Christian-Music/hymns-the-songs-and-the-stories/at-calvary-the-song-and-the-story.html
The song was
published in 1895 at about 27 years of age while he was a teacher at the
Moody Institute. It is said
that one day as he was on his way to teach a class, he was considering
what Jesus suffered at Calvary and what it meant to him as a sinner.
He stepped into an empty class room and wrote down the words on
an envelope. Later that day
he handed the poem to Daniel B. Towner, music director at Moody.
An hour later, Towner had the tune.
While we question
Newell and Towner’s understanding of God’s plan of salvation, the
message of this hymn is still scriptural with proper understanding of
our salvation.
a.
Years I
spent in vanity and pride –
times past were about fulfilling my own selfish desires.
What a waste!
From time to time we need to
recall what we used to be like.
Not to repeat that state or dwell on it, but rather to remind
ourselves of what we have escaped.
Our goal is to learn from it.
The realization of what I was is frequently mentioned in the Bible –
Colossians 3:5-7 speaks of
things we are to put to death, ways “in which you yourselves once walked
when you lived in them.”
1
Peter 4:3 says, “We have
spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles –
when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking
parties, and abominable idolatries…”
1 Cor. 6:11 says, “And
such were some of you.”
b.
Caring
not my Lord was crucified –
spiritual pursuits were not an interest.
Far too many just don’t care about what Jesus has done for us!
c.
Knowing
not it was for me he died –
not necessarily a statement that we had never heard of Jesus, but we had
not given it serious thought.
Consider Paul who recounted his past in
1 Corinthians 15:9 says, “For
I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”
1 Tim. 1:12-15 also
describes Paul’s former life and his conclusion, “This
is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
d.
At
Calvary – the term Calvary has
reference to the place where Jesus died.
Mentioned only in
Luke 23:33 which says, “And
when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him…”
The word means skull (kranion, e.g. cranium) and is so clarified
in the other 3 gospels. For
example
Matthew 27:33 says, “And
when they had come to the place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place
of a skull.” Calvary is based upon the
Latin Vulgate for skull (Calvaria);
Golgotha is the
corresponding Aramaic word.
The point obviously is a realization of the significance of that event.
e.
One
more thought: This verse could
just as easily apply to one who has slipped BACK into the world by not
living the godly life. Heb. 10:29 speaking of
those who have abandoned their brethren among other things, they have, “counted
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and
insulted the Spirit of grace.”
a.
A verse
that describes one convicted of his sins.
That is one of the powers of His word.
b.
By
God’s Word at last my sin I learned.
2 Tim. 3:16-17 identifies
some of what the word of God can do.
It can convict and teach.
Heb.
4:12, “For the word
of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Romans 1:16 speaks of the
power of the gospel to save.
c.
Then I
trembled at the law I’d spurned
– a realization of one’s truly lost
condition.
In
Acts 9:6 when Paul
realized what he had done it says, “So he, trembling and astonished,
said, ‘Lord, what do YOU want me to do?’”
Acts 16:29, the
Philippians jailer came in “and fell down trembling before Paul and
Silas,…”
Even Felix trembled at the message –
Acts 24:25.
d.
Till my
guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary
–
As in the case of Felix, trembling at your lost condition is NOT enough
to save you. It softens the
heart, but you still have to respond.
In
Acts 2:37 they were cut to
the heart.
Luke 18:13, the tax
collector said, “God be merciful
to me a sinner.”
Before one can be saved he must REPENT!
Like the prodigal son – Luke 15:17.
He must also turn to the cross –Col. 1:20,
Galatians 3:27 tells us we come in contact with Him and His
blood.
a.
This verse
describes how our lives have changed and are now devoted to Him.
b.
Now
I’ve given to Jesus everything
– know that He will accept nothing less.
Matthew 16:24, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me.”
Matt. 10:37-38 calls for
us to put Him before others, including our family and to take up our
cross (be willing to bear whatever) for Him.
This is one of those things that is easy to say, but doing it is far
more difficult. Is He REALLY
first in our lives? IF we
honestly examine ourselves, do we put ANYTHING before Him?
c.
Now I
gladly own Him as my King –
When Peter preached on Pentecost, he said, “Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus,
whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Ac.
2:36). To be Lord
is to be our ruler. But His
rule is more than that of a mere master.
He is our KING –
1 Tim. 1:17 says, “Now to
the king eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Tim. 6:15 describes Him
as, “the King of kings and Lord of
lords.”
IF I gladly make Jesus my King, I am going to submit to His reign!
d.
Now my
ratured soul can only sing of Calvary
– when our lives are absorbed in His life there will be peace and joy.
It causes us to spring forth in song and praise to Him –
Heb. 13:15, Col. 3:16
The word rapture is
defined as “a state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming
emotion.” (Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).
We need not think of it in the premillenial sense so prevalent
today. May our souls be
enraptured with joy at the thought of what Jesus has done for us,
our privilege to serve Him and the thought of being with Him when
this life is over.
1 Pet. 1:13, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope
fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ.” Also
Romans 8:18
a.
In the
final verse we find some of the things we ought to think about from time
to time which can keep us humble, grateful and hopeful.
b.
O, the
love that drew salvation’s plan.
Can we ever fully comprehend the greatness of God’s love?
John 3:16 says it all.
Titus 3:4 says, “But
when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared.”
1 John 4: 9–11, “In
this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In
this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.”
c.
O, the
grace that brought it down to man
– The message of grace is God’s part in our salvation.
He has done everything necessary to make salvation possible.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “By
grace you have been saved through faith…”
Romans 3:23-24, “for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
d.
O, the
mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary
– the Bible only mentions a gulf once.
It is found in
Luke 16:26 in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
Abraham explains why Lazarus cannot cool his tongue with a drop
of water saying, “And besides all
this, between us and you there is a great
gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot,
nor can those from there pass to us.”
The parable deals with the divide between the saved and the lost.
Jesus, AT CALVARY, bridged that divide.
Ephesians 2:15–16, “having
abolished in His flesh the enmity,
that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to
create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and
that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross,
thereby putting to death the
enmity.”
a.
Consider
the effect the cross can have on one who surrenders his life to Christ.
The Chorus continues to remind us of some of these things.
b.
Mercy
there was great – there is NO
greater mercy than what Jesus did for us at the cross and God’s
acceptance of His sacrifice for our sins.
c.
Grace
was free – the idea of grace
is favor, unmerited favor.
Again its greatest demonstration was at Calvary.
Ephesians 2:4–7, “But
God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and
made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in
the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
d.
Pardon
there was multiplied to me –
When we think of pardon we think of being forgiven of something we ARE
guilty of. We receive
forgiveness. That is what
Calvary did for us – “In Him we
have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians
1:7)
e.
There
my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary
– or freedom. At the cross
we find freedom from the bondage of our sins. “Inasmuch
then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself
likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who
had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”