This coming Sunday I will bring to us a very famous passage of Scripture that are part of the “Christology Hymns” of the New Testament; that is. “Christology Hymns” of the New Testament describe theologically who Jesus really is and what He has done. Last week we studied Colossians 1:15-23. I am asking you to read ahead before Sunday and meditate carefully on this week’s passage, Philippians 2:6-11. For a larger context, once you read this part, read the whole of the book of Philippians (only 4 chapters).
Now… to prepare your hearts for this Sunday I am asking us all to consider the question… “How deep is God’s Love?” “How far did He go to bring His love to you?”
As I thought through this truth, a wonderful old hymn came to mind that helps bring it into focus even more. We occasionally sing this song in our worship, but appropriately as we prepare for worship and study, it would help us all to use this hymn to prepare our hearts and minds. They hymn? THE LOVE OF GOD written in 1917 by Fredrick M. Lehman and his daughter Claudia Mays. Frederick was from Germany but moved to the USA as a young boy with his parents as they immigrated to Iowa. He had lost his business after some business deals had gone bad (he was in the produce business). He attended a church service where he heard a powerful sermon on the love of God and it touched him as he realized how deep God’s love was penetrating to depth and darkness of humanity.
One of the verses actually came from a Jewish Rabbi teaching from 1000 years prior:
If all the heavens were parchments, and all the seas quills, and all the seas were ink, it would still be impossible to write down even a part of what I learned from my teacher.
And, of course, the last verse of the hymn reflects the truth from the very last verse from the Gospel of John 21:25.
And there are many other things that Jesus also did, which, were they written down one by one, I think the cosmos itself would not contain the books that would be written
Again, this Sunday I will be teaching out of Philippians 2:6-11. As you come, meditate and pray through how deep God’s love is. This is a priceless truth. If there was a phrase that jumps out to me in this song it might be… “the love of God… goes beyond the highest star… and reaches to the lowest hell.”
Here are the three verses from this wonderful old hymn:
“The Love of God.”
- The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure— The saints’ and angels’ song.
- When years of time shall pass away
and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
when men who here refuse to pray,
on rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so pure shall still endure,
all measureless and strong;
redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
the saints’ and angels’ song. - Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
A great way to prepare yourself is to also pull up one of the many youtube recordings of this song and contemplate this amazing truth.
See you Sunday morning as we worship together as a family.
