{"id":8385,"date":"2015-09-03T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T18:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=8385"},"modified":"2015-09-17T14:32:44","modified_gmt":"2015-09-17T18:32:44","slug":"the-life-and-music-of-charles-wesley-83015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=8385","title":{"rendered":"The Life and Music of Charles Wesley (8\/23\/15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

God “strangely warmed” the hearts of both John and Charles Wesley, and these brothers persevered through persecution<\/a><\/span> to spread the Gospel. They nurtured people in the faith who were previously only being fed by the traditions of the organized church. In his sermon of August 23, 2015, Pastor Jim looked at the faith and conviction of these two men as demonstrated in the hymns of Charles Wesley.
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Click on the following “Play” button, scroll down, and follow along (this recording is from the 9:30 service)…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Sermon-2015-08-23a-The-Life-and-Music-of-Charles-Wesley-by-Pastor-Jim-Bolton-6kbs-mono_BAK.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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If you want to know what we Methodists believe, take a look at the hymns of Charles Wesley. These hymns are chock full of theology and are a beautiful way to learn about God and to worship Him as we take steps in being molded into His image. <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

This morning’s sermon was based on Ephesians 5:15-20. Click on the below drop down box to follow along…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ephesians 5<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Ephesians 5:15-21<\/p>\n

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.<\/span><\/p>\n

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.<\/span><\/p>\n

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,<\/span><\/p>\n

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.<\/span>\nNKJV<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. <\/span><\/em><\/strong> (Ephesians 5:19, NLT)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Even during creation, God had “background music” playing. Music has always been God’s way of communicating with us. Music is within us as a way of expressing the spiritual; the things that we can’t grasp with words alone.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>

John Wesley<\/p><\/div>\n

John Wesley felt that the Anglican church- his church- was inwardly focused and was not reaching the community. It was not bringing true faith to the people. So he formed “Holiness Groups” around the England which brought the Word of God down to “where the rubber meets the road.”<\/p>\n

Music became a way to express God’s word in a meaningful way, and Charles Wesley wrote words that used music to stir the hearts of people to bring them closer to God. Even today, these hymns of Charles Wesley (and others), help us express our faith in a deep and meaningful way.<\/p>\n

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Note: The recording only includes part of each hymn. Most of them start with the first verse and then end with the last line in the final verse. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Press the “pause” button on the player and take time to consider the depth of every verse.<\/span><\/em><\/div><\/div>\n

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1: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing (1739)
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Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, <\/span><\/em><\/strong>to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength <\/span><\/em><\/strong>and honor and glory and praise!”<\/span> <\/em><\/strong>
\nRevelation 5:11-12<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Charles Wesley wrote more than 6000 hymns during his life time (1707-1788). “O for a Thousand<\/p>\n

\"Charles<\/a>

Charles Wesley<\/p><\/div>\n

Tongues to Sing” may be considered to be his first; it was written shortly after his conversion in 1739. He suggested that we should sing this hymn on the anniversary of our own conversion (if we have such a definite date). This hymn is traditionally the first hymn in any United Methodist Hymnal (page 57 in our current edition).<\/p>\n

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O For a Thousand Tongues<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
1.  O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise,\r\n    the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!\r\n\r\n2.  My gracious Master and my God,assist me to proclaim,\r\n    to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name.\r\n\r\n3.  Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease;\r\n    'tis music in the sinner's ears, 'tis life, and health, and peace.\r\n\r\n4.  He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free;\r\n    his blood can make the foulest clean; his blood availed for me.\r\n\r\n5.  He speaks, and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive;\r\n    the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.\r\n\r\n6.  Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,\tyour loosened tongues employ;\r\n    ye blind, behold your savior come, and leap, ye lame, for joy.\r\n\r\n7.  In Christ, your head, you then shall know, shall feel your sins forgiven;\r\n    anticipate your heaven below, and own that love is heaven.<\/pre>\n
13.  Look unto Him, ye nation's own; Your God ye fallen race;\r\n     Look and be saved through faith alone; be justified by grace.<\/pre>\n
16.  Murderers and all ye hellish crew in holy triumph join!\r\n     Believe the Savior died for you; for me the Savior died.<\/pre><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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2: Jesus Lover of My Soul (1738)
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“Never will I leave you; <\/span><\/em><\/strong>never will I forsake you.” <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
So we say with confidence,<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. <\/span><\/em><\/strong>What can man do to me?”<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
\nHebrews 13:6<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
When Charles and John were preaching, it was during a time of great change in the Christian Church, and emotional responses to the new thing God was doing ran deep. It was not unusual for violence to result.<\/p>\n
On one particular occasion in 1738, Wesley was preaching in the fields of a parish in Ireland when he \"demonstration-546470__180\"<\/a>was attacked by men who did not approve of his doctrines. He escaped to a farmhouse, where the farmer’s wife hid him in the milkhouse. When the mob approached her home to demand the fugitive, the brave Christian lady quieted them temporarily with refreshments. While Charles’ would be captors were eating and planning their next move, she snuck out to the milkhouse and directed Wesley to go through a rear window and to hide under a hedge.<\/p>\n
From this hiding place, Wesley could hear the movement an angry voices of his pursuers. He settled back into the hedge to await their departure. He filled his waiting time by composing a hymn; a prayer of trust in God as his refuge: Jesus, Lover of My Soul.<\/p>\n
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Jesus Lover of My Soul<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
1.      Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly, \r\n\twhile the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. \r\n\tHide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past; \r\n\tsafe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last. \r\n\r\n2.\tOther refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on thee; \r\n\tleave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. \r\n\tAll my trust on thee is stayed, all my help from thee I bring; \r\n\tcover my defenseless head with the shadow of thy wing.\r\n\r\n3.\tThou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in thee I find; \r\n\traise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. \r\n\tJust and holy is thy name, I am all unrighteousness; \r\n\tfalse and full of sin I am; thou art full of truth and grace. \r\n\r\n4.\tPlenteous grace with thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; \r\n\tlet the healing streams abound, make and keep me pure within. \r\n\tThou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of thee; \r\n\tspring thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.<\/pre><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
“Other refuge have I not”. How many “answers” does the world give us today? Jesus is our only answer!<\/p>\n
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3: Lo He Comes with Clouds Descending (1758)
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The Wesleys wanted to be absolutely sure that the words to their hymns were biblically pure. Before anything was published, Charles got together with Jon and they made sure that everything in the hymn was consistent with the Bible.<\/p>\n
Scripture references (verse 1)…<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t
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