Speaker 1 0:02

If you do not listen earnestly to Jesus and consider him daily and fix your eyes on him hourly, then you will not stand still, you will go backward, you will float away from Christ. John Piper, this is the Bright Forever. Hello and welcome to the Bright Forever where each week, we rediscover the power and richness found in some of the greatest hymns of the faith. My name is Andy Peavyhouse and I am your host and your guide on this incredible adventure into hymnody. Welcome back, everybody. It is great to be back with you again this week. In our last episode, we discussed the powerful call to worship by St Francis of Assisi, all creatures of our God and King, and talked about the riches to rags life-altering decision of St Francis to renounce his wealth and family name to serve Christ and preach repentance throughout Italy. We explored the amazing verses of his poem the Canticle of the Sun turned him, and saw how we are called to join creation in this doxology, this hymn of honor and praise to our Lord, jesus Christ.

Speaker 1 1:52

This week we explore the power and richness of a simple hymn, one that I've loved since I was a small child. Today we're looking at Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus, a song that encourages countless believers to refocus their hearts and their eyes on Christ. This hymn has been sung in churches, at funerals, weddings, bible studies, personal devotions for over a century, reminding us over and over again that when we fix our gaze on Jesus, the worries of this world fade away and we truly see God for his glory and grace. But where did this hymn come from, and what biblical truths does it proclaim? That's what we will get to the heart of during this episode of the Bright Forever. Now. I promised you all a story of Jesus from my father. I was going to use it as a bonus clip, but I decided to just go ahead and add it in to this episode and let you hear another great story of Jesus. Check this out. Tell me a story of Jesus in your life. What's something that's happening in your life right now that you're like Jesus? This is it.

Speaker 3 3:27

Well, it's something that I hadn't thought about for a while, but I began thinking about again and every so often it really comes to my mind and it is something that for many, many years—I mean, I grew up with a mother who was just a giver and a doer and just a servant person and so on, and so she sort of taught me to be that way too. And I remember years ago and I may have even told you said this same thing in a podcast past but I got this eye-opening experience where I was just I've been told by many people and my loving, beautiful wife keeps telling me even nowadays how wonderful I am, what a wonderful heart I've got toward other people and how I like to serve, and so on. And there is a there's. Sometimes you get a sense that that is who you are and that's what you're like and that that is a virtuous thing, um, but I got the glimpse back years ago that um, which easily came and says, no, that's yes, you're behaving with love toward these people, you're behaving with kindness for these people, you're behaving with kindness toward these people. What do you think about them? What does your heart say?

Speaker 3 4:50

And I realized my heart wasn't saying anything. I just learned to behave a certain kind of way, and because of that, one of the questions this week in Bible Study Fellowship was a time of suffering. Well, that was a difficult time for me because what was basically happening was I was being confronted with the fact that I was fakey. I was a fake. What I was behaving like was not what was going on inside me and inside my heart, and so that was tough, and I mean many times since then I've had the same question Is this really what I'm doing? Is this really who I am, or am I really false? Am I really not real inside? And this is what's amazing side, and this is what's amazing.

Speaker 3 5:50

This is why I say it's a great Jesus point is that Jesus sort of says it doesn't make any difference to me, I like the fakey, you too, you're mine, whether or not, no matter what goes on in your mind as to whether you think you're being real or you think you're not being real. That's why I said earlier, I have learned I do not trust myself. I cannot trust myself. I have to trust in the one who can be fully, always trusted, and that's Jesus, and that, to me, is that. It's a wonderful thing to know that you can take your best and say you know, filthy rags, it's rot, it's nothing, it's worthless cow dung. You know that's my best day, and yet he says you're mine, I just that's to me. I don't, I don't, I don't have to to to say what a wonderful, freeing, joyous thing that is to know that I'm, that I belong to him, even when I stink up the place with my attitude or my behaviors.

Speaker 1 7:04

Wow, that's awesome. It it reminds me, uh, there was a reel that I was looking at on Facebook just the other day, uh, from John Piper. I just want to play it for you, just real quick.

Speaker 4 7:15

Can I do enough good works to outweigh my bad works? Can I do one good work and the answer is no works? Can I do one good work and the answer is no? There are no good deeds before regeneration, none. And after regeneration they're all imperfect. Which is why justification, our right standing with God, has to be not 99.9% grace and Christ, but 100%. And that's the way he saved us by grace alone, on the basis of Christ alone, through faith alone to the glory of God's infinite, beautiful, superior worth alone.

Speaker 3 8:09

Wow.

Speaker 1 8:11

I love how he talks about before regeneration. Nothing, nothing good, Even our good, is bad After regeneration. Even that it's imperfect Because we're still in a fallen world, we still are living in this sinful flesh. But I loved what you said, this idea that he even loves the fakey me. He loves the fakey you and I love that because I love the idea that that's not me.

Speaker 3 8:43

All of me is the fakey me in love that, because I love the idea that that's not me. All of me is the fake me in some ways.

Speaker 1 8:47

I mean even even as wonderful as I can be, now that I have jesus christ living in me, and I'm trying and I'm and I'm giving him more and more of myself and he's chipping away and sanctifying me, I still fail him over and over again and he says I love you. Of course you're going to fail. That's why I came. Awesome, thank you again.

Speaker 3 9:15

You're welcome, thank you.

Speaker 1 9:18

That was awesome and we want to hear your stories of Jesus. So email us yourstories at podcastatthebrightforevercom or go onto our website, click the contact us tab and send us your story of Jesus and how he's working in and through your life, the things he's helped you through, the things he's helped you get past and challenged you and changed in your life. Take a moment, if you haven't had a chance, and go send us your story of Jesus today. With that being said, let's get to our incredible hymn. As always, before we get started, don't forget to click subscribe and follow us at the Bright Forever so you never miss an episode. So let's begin. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Speaker 1 10:17

I have found that behind every great hymn is a powerful story. While we may not have touched on some of the big ones, like Amazing Grace by John Newton or it Is Well With my Soul by Horatio Spafford, these hymns have powerful stories that inspired their author to pin their words in amazing ways. Their words in amazing ways. And though it is definitely a lesser-known hymn, Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus has an equally inspiring origin. Helen Lamel was born on November 14, 1863, in England, the daughter of a Wesleyan Methodist minister. At the age of 12, she and her family immigrated to the United States, first settling in Mississippi before making their home in Wisconsin. Even at a young age, Helen displayed an incredible musical talent, particularly as a singer. Her passion for music took her far beyond her small-town upbringing. In 1904, she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she worked as a music critic for the Seattle Post Intelligencier for three years. During an interview with the famous German opera singer Ernestine Schirmeninck, Helen was encouraged to further her musical education. Taking the advice to heart, she traveled to Germany where she spent four years studying voice. After returning to the United States, Helen began touring extensively performing concerts in churches across the Midwest, extensively performing concerts in churches across the Midwest and traveling on the Chautauqua Circuit, a popular movement that brought culture and religious education to rural America. Eventually, she shifted from performance to education, serving as a vocal music teacher at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and later at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, now known as Biola University.

Speaker 1 12:33

Despite her impressive musical achievements, Helen is best remembered for her hymn writing. Over the course of her life she composed more than 500 hymns and poems, many of which were widely used in evangelical circles. She also wrote a successful children's book, Story of the Bible and created numerous musical compositions for children. Her influence extended into major evangelical movements. One of her hymnals was used by Billie Sunday, a well-known evangelist of the time. For over a decade she even directed a women's choral group that performed as part of Billie Sunday's ministry at the height of his career.

Speaker 1 13:23

Later in life, Helen settled in Seattle, Washington, where she remained active in Christian ministry as a member of the Ballard Baptist Church. Even as she aged, she continued writing, composing and serving the church until she passed away at the age of 97 in 1961. It was in the midst of this extraordinary life that she wrote Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus. The inspiration for this amazing hymn came from a rather unexpected place, A small devotional pamphlet by Lilius Trotter, an artist and missionary to Algeria. Trotter had written a short piece called Focused, urging believers to set their sights on Christ above all else. She wrote quote if gaze is focused on him being Christ, the world's values fade away and the worth of his kingdom becomes clear. The message of that pamphlet, calling believers to fix their eyes solely on Christ, became the heart of Helen's most famous hymn. Though she faced personal struggles, including blindness, later in life, Helen never lost sight of the one she wrote about.

Speaker 1 15:04

Her song, first published in 1922, has since been recorded by artists like Alan Jackson, Amy Grant, Hillsong Worship and so many others. It has remained a staple in both traditional and in contemporary worship. I hear the chorus of this song everywhere, even in some of the most contemporary worship settings. All of a sudden, Helen L Mel's words will come pouring out turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. Even now, more than a century after its publication, Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus continues to encourage believers around the world to do just that to look to Christ and find peace in his glory and grace and grace. And what makes this hymn truly timeless is not just its beautiful melody, but it's the deep biblical truths it proclaims.

Speaker 1 16:38

So let's walk through the lyrics of this hymn and explore the scripture behind its message. In verse one we see O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness. You see, there's light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free. The opening lines speak directly to the human condition. I don't know about you, but there are times when my soul is weary and the troubles of this world just weigh so heavily and I feel like I am in utter feel like I am in utter spiritual darkness. I look around this world and, my goodness, sometimes I look at this world and just how are we going to make it? Yet scripture offers us this amazing, amazing point, which she says there's light for a look at the Savior, John 1.5,. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus is our light, he is the word made flesh. Psalm 119, 105,. Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Jesus is that light. He is that lamp unto our feet. John 8, 12,. Again, Jesus spoke to them saying I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Is your soul weary and troubled? Do you feel that darkness around you? Well, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 10.10 tells us the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. There's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free. Such a simple verse. Such a simple verse but it says so much.

Speaker 1 19:19

Verse two through death into life everlasting. He passed and we follow him there, or us. Sin no more hath dominion for more than conquerors we are. And what's funny is I've always had a problem with this verse because it doesn't rhyme. As a kid, this verse drove me crazy because verse one rhymes and verse three rhymes but verse two doesn't, and it drove me crazy. But look at what it's saying. Don't get sidetracked by its non-rhyme. Look at what it's saying. This verse proclaims the victory that we have in Christ.

Speaker 1 20:05

Romans 6, 9,. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. Through death, into life everlasting. He passed, and we follow him there. Sin no longer has dominion over us. No. Romans 8 tells us no. In all things we are more than conquerors. Through him, who loved us, and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord, we are more than conquerors. We affirm that salvation is secured by Christ's work alone, not by our own efforts, not by anything I can do. It's because of him he passed and we follow him there. Because of that, sin cannot hold us. Sin cannot rule over us. We are more than conquerors and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. It reminds us, this hymn reminds us, that his grace carries us beyond death into life everlasting.

Speaker 1 21:35

Verse three says his word shall not fail you, he promised. Believe him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying his perfect salvation to tell. This verse highlights two biblical truths One, the reliability of God's word, and two, we are called to be a part of it. Isaiah 40, verse eight, says the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of God will stand forever. Matthew 24, 35 says heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Speaker 1 22:24

Isaiah 55, 11 says so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. And I was reading this and I go, I quote this verse all of the time that I talk about when God's word is used, that God's word goes out and it accomplishes what it has been sent out to do. It does not return void. And I was looking at it and I was thinking about it, and I was thinking through this, this verse going his word shall not fail you, he promised. Believe him and all will be well. But then I started thinking what is the rest of this? Because sometimes we can take verses out of context. And I wanted to look at the context, and so I read Isaiah 55 and oh my goodness, Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.

Speaker 1 23:31

And he who has no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, or your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me and eat what is good and delight yourself in rich food. Incline your ear and come to me. Hear that your soul may live and I will make you an everlasting covenant.

Speaker 1 24:02

My steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and a commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know and a nation that did not know. You shall run to you because of the Lord, your God, and of the Holy one while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, For my thoughts are not your thoughts.

Speaker 1 25:04

Neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down, here it is, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it, For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress. Instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle, and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. His word shall not fail you. He promised Believe him and all will be well. Then, what does she call us to do? It's not just that God's promises are unshakable, they are. His word never fails. It's a foundational truth. God's word does not fail us. Scripture is our ultimate authority, so it calls us to respond. Then go to a world that is dying His perfect salvation to tell.

Speaker 1 27:26

The final line of the hymn calls believers to proclaim the gospel to a lost and dying world. It's the Great Commission, commission Matthew 28, 19 and 20,. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. His word will not fail you. He promises that If you believe him, all will be well. If that's true, then go out there and tell people. This hymn doesn't just offer comfort. It calls us to action. It's not just about oh, turn your eyes upon Jesus and everything will be okay. It's turn your eyes upon Jesus and everything will be okay. It's turn your eyes upon Jesus. Know that what he says he promises to do, believe him, know that it's going to happen, and go out there and tell others. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus, we are compelled to share it. We are compelled to share his perfect salvation with others.

Speaker 1 28:54

And of course, I saved the best for last.

Speaker 5 28:57

In between each of those verses we get this beautiful chorus Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Jesus look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the will grow strangely dim in the light of. His glory and grace.

Speaker 1 29:54

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. That's Hebrews 12, 2 Corinthians, 3, 18. And we all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. Solos Christus, christ alone is our hope and salvation. When we set our hearts and our eyes on Jesus, the distractions of the world fade, not because they cease to exist, but because His glory outshines them all.

Speaker 5 32:06

Oh soul, are you weary and troubled. No light in the darkness. You see, there's light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace, through death into life everlasting. He passed and we follow Him there O'er us, and no more hath to many a For more than conquerors we are. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strange In the light of His glory and grace. Turn your eyes, turn your eyes. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Speaker 1 35:06

That was Turn your Eyes Upon Jesus, performed by Nathan Drake of Reawaken Hymns. It is from the album the Trinity Acoustic Sessions, volume 1, which contains acoustic recordings of the arrangements of the Trinity Project albums Hymns of the Father, hymns of the Son and Hymns of the Spirit. The more modern version, with full band, is found on the album. Hymns of the Son. Lyric videos, chord charts and sheet music are all available through the links in the show notes. Turn your eyes upon Jesus is more than just a hymn. It is an invitation, an invitation to refocus our hearts on Christ, an invitation to refocus our hearts on Christ, to trust in his unchanging word and to share his salvation with the world in need. As we close today's episode, take a moment to reflect on this. Where is your focus? Are the worries of the world consuming your thoughts, or are you fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith? Thank you for joining me this week on the Bright Forever. If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend or family, or with total strangers, and together let's keep looking to Christ. Be sure to subscribe and share it with everybody. You can follow this podcast either through Apple, spotify, amazon or many other podcast platforms or take our RSS feed and plug it into wherever you listen to podcasts. If you want to dig deeper into the hymns we have done before, please take a minute and visit our website at thebrightforevercom and, as always, we want to hear from you. You can email us at podcast at thebrightforevercom. You can also click the contact us tab at the top of the website and send us a message through our contact form. You can click the radio microphone in the bottom right corner and record a message of up to two minutes and let us know what you think of the podcast. And now you can text us. In the description and notes for every episode, there is a link at the beginning that says send us a text. You can click on that and it will open up your messaging app on your phone and you can send us a text that will go directly to our website. And, last but not least, you can always show us what you think by leaving a review on our website, on Apple podcast or on Spotify. Give us all of the five-star ratings you could possibly want to give us. With that, thank you, thank you, thank you I cannot say it enough for listening and supporting us each and every week.

Speaker 1 38:08

Let me close this out in prayer. Father, I thank you so much for your son Jesus. God, we can look to the author and perfecter of our faith. You did not hold back your son, but you gave him as a ransom for us. Help us to turn our eyes upon Jesus and watch the cares and the concerns and the worries of this world fade away as we sit in the grace that was provided through his finished work on the cross and remind us that we can trust him, because your word will not fail us. You've promised, so help us take that transformed life that you have given to us and help us share it with a lost and dying world. God, we love you, we praise you. We give you all the honor and all the glory in Jesus name. Amen. God bless you all. Have a great week and I'll see you back here next week. We're out. Thank you.