I. INTRODUCTION
Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915. Fanny Crosby wrote more than 8,000
hymns. See also lesson 4.
II. Verse 1
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, And it told
Thy love to me.
Psalms 119:91-96, Isaiah 6:8, II Tim. 1:12-14, I John 3:11. When
we listen to the words of the Lord, contained in his word, we
hear his voice. The Holy Spirit, through the words of the New
Testament writers, gives us the voice of the Lord. These words
convey to us not only the love that God had for us in sending
his son, but the example of love that we should have for him,
his son, and for our fellow man. Many today claim that they have
heard the voice of the Lord and have been given new revelation.
They claim to have new words and new meanings to the love of God.
Gal. 1:8 discounts their claims.
But I long to rise in the arms of faith, And be closer drawn
to Thee.
Eph. 3:1119, Hebrews 11:1-3, Psalms 145:17-20, Hebrews 7:19, James
4:8. Faith (belief; trusting in his word) is our only way to come
to know God and to draw near to him. The more we know of God,
Jesus and the love that they have for us, the closer we will be
to God and the stronger our love will be for him. Our acts of
worship that we engage in are designed to also draw us near to
him. Through song we learn and teach of his love, through the
Lord's Supper we commune with him in remembering Christ's sacrifice,
and through prayer we communicate with him our love and our praise.
III. Verse 2
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, By the power of
grace divine.
John 17:17, I Thess. 5:22-24, Hebrews 13:12, I Peter 3:14-16,
Rom. 4:13-17, Eph. 2:1-10. Grace from God was shown to us through
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. it is through our obedience and
faithfulness that this grace sanctifies or consecrates us to his
service. We therefore pray to God that we will take advantage
of this grace by following him and doing his commandments. Our
service to him is sanctified or consecrated to him only if it
is done according to his instructions. When we follow a pattern
of instructions correctly the end result is exactly what the creator
of the pattern desired for an outcome. When we alter the pattern
we alter the result!
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope, And my will be
lost in thine.
Titus 2:13-14, II Cor. 4:16-18, Phil. 3:20-21, Luke 22:41-42,
Rom. 9:20-23. We can obtain true hope of an eternal life with
the father, only when we turn our wills over to him. Our will
must be lost in his will. We are no longer servants of sin, but
servants of righteousness. We therefore ask, "What does the
Lord want me to do.'?" We read his word to find out, and
then, without questioning his will for us, we do it!
IV. Verse 3
O the pure delight of a single hour that before Thy throne
I spend, when I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God, I commune
as friend with friend.
Heb. 4:1516, Acts 9:39-42, James 2:19-24, Rev. 3:20-21, 7:9-10,
13-17. When we obey God and follow his commandments, we are afforded
a great opportunity that others do not have: we can commune with
God. We become fellow heirs, children of God, sanctified believers,
and we have the unique ability of being able to communicate with
God. Prayer gives us a special way in which we let God know how
we feel about him and his creation and we can petition him in
regard to our needs. The greatest friends that we could ever have
are Jesus Christ and the Father. Abraham was called a friend of
God. This was because when God called, he answered. Whet greater
call can we answer than the call of God to follow him and lead
others to him? When we do, we participate in the greatest friendship
we can have!
V. Verse 4
There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross
the narrow sea; there are heights of joy that I may not reach
till I rest in peace with Thee.
Eph. 3:15-21, Matt. 7:13-14, Rev 21:1-7. We enjoy many benefits
of being children of God while here on the earth. However, the
things that we will enjoy while in eternity with God and Jesus
Christ, are unable to be comprehended by our earthly minds.
VI. Chorus
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where thou
hast died; Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to thy
precious bleeding side.
Matt. 16:24-27, Mark 10:17-22, Psalms 73:25-28, John 19:33-37,
Eph. 2:12-13, I John 1:5-7. The suffering of the cross, the blood
that was shed there, and the life that was given, can bring us
near to God. The message of the cross is salvation through Jesus
Christ. The message of the shedding of his blood is redemption
of sins. In order for us to be in a covenant relationship with
God we must understand these messages, obey his commands, teach
others and look forward to the hope of eternal life that they
bring!