Oh For a Thousand Tongues #104

The Author:

“If I had a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all.” So said Peter Böhler to Charles Wesley, inspiring the first line of the classic hymn, “Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer’s praise”

Charles was the eighteenth child of Anglican minister Samuel Wesley and brother of the famous preacher John Wesley. Though John Wesley is called the father of Methodism, his brother Charles Wesley (1707-1788) may be called the father of Methodist congregational singing.

Charles spent his life in the church studying theology, actively participating in church traditions, and even serving on Christian missionary trips abroad. A missionary trip to America to the Native Americans. That did not go well.

Charles Wesley came to genuine faith in Jesus as an adult, realizing that his knowledge of the things of God was not matched with a deeper knowing of God himself. Both John and Charles wrestled with assurance of their salvation. They believed that their works impacted their eternal destiny. Until they both had very powerful conversion experiences where they come to understand that it is through Jesus that we are saved and not by our works.

Before his conversion, Wesley fell ill and stayed in bed fearing death. He was visited by a group of friends including his brother; they sang Christian hymns outside his window, and one line from that night stood out to him and brought him great comfort: ". . . Jesus, the name that charms our fears and bids our sorrows cease.”

That line, of course, made its way into “O for a Thousand . . .” as a personal testimony of Wesley’s conversion that night, and is one of the most notable lines of the song.

Jesus the name that charms our fears

That bids our sorrows cease

’Tis music in the sinner’s ears

’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He wrote in his journal that night:

“I was composing myself to sleep in quietness and peace when I heard one come in and say, ‘In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise, and believe, and thou shalt be healed of all thine infirmities.’ The words struck me to the heart. I lay musing and trembling.

With a strange palpitation of heart, I said, yet feared to say, ‘I believe, I believe!’”

Peter Bohler was one of those friends that spent time at Wesley's bedside during his illness. And at some point in his visits with Charles made the statement “If I had a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all.”

Wesley wanted to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his conversion by writing a hymn that would communicate his love for Jesus and gratitude for true salvation. With Boehler’s quote as a reference, he sat down to pen this hymn, which originally had 18 stanzas. Most versions sung today include at least six from that original collection. As his brother John was arranging a Methodist Hymn book.

Wesley wanted “O for a Thousand . . .” to include personal testimony as well as doctrinal truth and declaration.

As a prolific poet and songwriter, Wesley was known to write at least 12 lines of poetry on a daily basis. This continued after his conversion, and in 1739,

Charles would go on to write about 6,500 Hymns in his lifetime

The Hymn:

“O for a Thousand . . .” celebrates Christ’s redeeming work in our lives by way of the cross, the glory of God as the King worthy of all praise, and the power of salvation to raise mankind from the dead, giving eternal life.

Oh For A Thousand Tongues is a celebration of true conversation, of the salvation one can have in Jesus.

I want us to consider that moment in your own life. I am going to focus in on one element of what is celebrated in Charles conversion…it’s the freedom

He Set’s the Prisoner Free...

Are you free?

Galatians 5:1 NIV

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Paul is concerned about the Galatian believers…Why?

Because Galatians 3:1-3

Galatians 3:1–3 NIV

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

This is where I think The Wesley’s found themselves before their “conversions.”

It’s not that they didn’t know who God was, that they believed in what He had done for them, but they weren’t living freely.

They were still bound by the “methods” of Christianity, the acts a Christian should do.

So when Charles has this experience on his sick bed concerned that he might actually die what he comes to experience is the freedom of Christ Salvation. And his brother John does also a few days later.

Change what you crave...

Here is one way to think about the christian life

I mentioned last week that I like sugar, now there are two things that I could do that would help me become healthier as it relates to my sugar intake-

I can change what I eat or I can change what I crave

Both will help me become healthier but one won’t make me cranky all the time.

The same can be true of the christian life. When we choose to follow Christ their are certain behaviors that we may need to change and we can focus on behavior modification- while I agree that behaviors are probably going to need to change in order to demonstrate the life that God calls us to life it’s kind of like me simply resolving to eat vegetables and not sweets, I can do it and the it will help me but I am not going to happy about it

Or I can change what I crave. If I can change my cravings from sweets to vegetables then I enjoy the vegetables and the behavioral changes flow out of that.

That’s kind of what Paul is saying here when he talks about life justified by the law or by the spirit.

Do legalistic Christians make it in to heaven, yea I think they do they just miss out on the life that Christ desires- joy

Another way to look at it is like playing the guitar or the piano

This piano is the life that God has given me and I am free to play it however I want- but that freedom left on governor just results in piano smashing

There are rules that govern how a piano should be played, that create notes and cords that result in melodies

But have you ever seen someone who can just sit down at a piano and play?

They are not breaking the rules of how a piano should be played but instead of being guided by a piece of part with notes on it the, the Spirit puts the notes in our hearts

Conclusion:

This is a celebration hymn that flows out of our salvation in Christ but not a head knowledge of that salvation but heart knowing of God

The love of God is greater far-we have not enough ink or pen or paper to express nor tongues to sing of the love the grace the freedom that comes in Christ