Love Divine (118)

Since We’re Singing Tonight, I Thought My Lesson Should Focus on a Song

I Went Through the Song Book and Ran Across a Song Called:

“Love Divine” (118 in Song Books)

It was Written By Charles Wesley in 1747

In Researching the Song a Little Bit…

I Found Out it was Sung at Queen Elizabeth's Funeral Last Month

But Even Better Than that is the Inspiration Behind the Song

Charles Wesley Wrote the Song as a Christianized Version of a Song Called “Fairest Isle”

In “Fairest Isle” the Goddess of Love Chooses the Isle of Britain Over Her Native Home of Cyprus

Charles Christianized the Song to Be About…

Divine Love Being Asked to Choose the Human Heart as its Residence…

Over its Native Home of Heaven

We’re Going to Read 1 Verse at a Time and Then I’ll Add a Few Thoughts After Each

1. Love divine, all love excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down; Fix in us thy humble dwelling; All thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus thou art all compassion, Pure, unbounded love thou art; Visit us with thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart.

Jesus is Love Divine

He is Described as Excelling All Love

The Singer Requests that Jesus:

Allow the Joy of Heaven to Come to Earth

Live Within Us

Crown Us with His Faithful Mercy

Grant Salvation to Us

Enter Our Hearts

2. Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit Into every troubled breast! Let us all in thee inherit; Let us find that promised rest. Take away the love of sinning, Take our load of guilt away; End the work of Thy beginning, Bring us to eternal day.

Now the Singer Requests the Spirit:

To Enter into Us

To Grant Us the Inheritance of Eternal Rest

To Take Away Our Love of Sinning

To Take Our Guilt Away

To Bring to an End the Work He Begun in Us

3. Come, Almighty to deliver, Let us all thy life receive; Suddenly return and never, Nevermore thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, Serve thee as thy hosts above, Pray and praise thee without ceasing, Glory in thy perfect love.

Now the Singer Requests of the Almighty (Father):

To Deliver Us and Grant Us Life

Then the Singer Describes the Life Received By the Father

It’s One Where We Never Leave the Temple and Our Worship Never Ends

4. Finish, then, thy new creation; Pure, unspotted may we be. Let us see our whole salvation Perfectly secured by thee; Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Now the Singer Requests of (Presumably) the Trinity:

To Finish the Work of New Creation…

Making Us Perfect, Glorious, and Immortal

To Allow Us to Live with Him Forever…

Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise

This is a Song of Praise and Worship to Jesus, the Spirit, and the Father

And it is All Focused on How God’s Love…

Saves, Sanctifies, and Perfects Us for God’s Glory

There are So Many Good Lines in this Song

But if I had to Pick 1 Verse that Stand Out Most to Me…

It Would Be the 2nd Verse

After Studying on the Holy Spirit These Past Few Months…

I’ve Come to Greatly Appreciate His Role

And the Lyrics of this Song Bring Out a Lot of Truths

I Like the Connection that’s Made Between Breathing and the Spirit

The Words for Breath and Spirit are the Same in Both Hebrew and Greek

When a Baby is Born and They Take Their First Breath…

That is the Breath/Spirit of Life Entering Their Lungs

When a Person is Baptized We Get the Same Sort of Imagery

The First Thing Someone Does When They are Born Out of the Water…

Is Take a Big Breath of Air

At that Very Moment, that Person is Given the Holy Spirit/Breath of God

Then We See a Connection Between Receiving the Spirit and Inheriting Promised Rest

Galatians 3:26–4:7 (NASB95)

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything,2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

When We are Baptized into Jesus, We Become Descendants of Abraham…

And Therefore Heirs of the Promise Given to Abraham

We are Adopted into the Family of God as His Children…

Because We Have the Spirit of His Son Within Us

We are Heirs of the Promises Because of the Spirit’s Indwelling

Next We See a Connection Between the Spirit and…

The Taking Away of Our Love of Sinning and Guilt

The Work of the Holy Spirit is the Work of Justifying & Sanctifying Believers

He Makes Us Righteous and Holy

This Includes Taking Away Our Love of Sinning and Our Guilt

Finally, the Spirit will Bring an End to the Work He Began

When Jesus Returns to Bring Eternity into Reality…

The Holy Spirit will Resurrect Us

Right Now He is Sanctifying and Renewing Us Inwardly

But Then He Will Renew and Perfect Us Outwardly

No More Bodies of Weakness and Sin

But We’ll have Bodies that are No Longer Tempted

Romans 8:11 (NASB95)

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit is So Important for Christians

He Deserves Just as Much Praise, Honor, and Worship as the Father and Son

I’m Thankful for Songs Like Divine Love that Make Sure to Do that