When My Love to Christ Grows Weak - Songs of Faith and Praise
This song study delves into Luke 22:44-48, exploring Christ's agony in Gethsemane, his disciples' slumber, and Judas' betrayal. The hymn, "When My Love to Christ Grows Weak," penned by John Raynell Wreford, reflects on Christ's sufferings and the importance of faith in guarding against weakness. Learn about the Unitarian background of the composer and the origin of the tune by Mrs. Phoebe Palmer Knapp.
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Presentation Transcript
Song Study WHEN MY LOVE TO CHRIST GROWS WEAK Luke 22:44-48
Luke 22:44-48, KJV (44-46) 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation 2
Luke 22:44-48, KJV (47-48) 47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? 3
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise This song is a written to remind us of the sufferings of Christ when He prayed in agony in the garden of Gethsemane and when He hung on the cross of Calvary It also shows why we should have faith in God and His Son and be diligent to guard our faith from growing weak This hymn was written by John Raynell Wreford who was born in at Barnstaple England on December 12 1800, into a Unitarian family 4
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Wreford s zeal for Unitarianism led him to reject, in his hymns, all Trinitarian formulas and the sentiments. After his retirement, he went to live at Bristol, within the sight of the sea, and died at St. Marylebone, England, in 1881 The tune was composed by Mrs. Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1838-1908). It is thought that Mrs. Knapp, who is best remembered for the music that is used with Fanny J. Crosby s hymn Blessed Assurance, may have produced it toward the end of her life, perhaps in 1908 shortly before her death 5
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Stanza # 1 Tells us that when our love for Christ grows weak, we can think of Christ when in the garden of Gethsemane: When my love for Christ grows weak, When for deeper faith I seek, Then in thought I go to thee, Garden of Gethsemane We certainly should love Christ because He first love us 1 John 4:19 When our love grows weak, we need to seek a deeper faith Luke 17:5 Gethsemane is where Christ s suffering began, leading to His suffering and death Matt. 26:36 6
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Stanza # 2 Tells us that Gethsemane was the scene of Jesus weeping and praying for us: There I walk amid the shades, While the lingering twilight fades, See that suffering, friendless one, Weeping, praying there alone We certainly do not literally walk amid the shades, but we can do so in mind as we read the account of Jesus being exceedingly sorrowful even unto death Matt. 26:37-38 He knelt as a suffering, friendless One because His disciples He took to watch, slept Matt. 26:39-41 Therefore, not being there, we can know that He was weeping and praying for us alone Matt. 26:42-44 7
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Stanza # 3 Tells us that when our love for man grows weak, we can think of Calvary: When our love for man grows weak, When for stronger faith I seek, Hill of Calvary! I go To thy scenes of fear and woe We should love our fellow man because Christ died for ALL men! 1 John 4:20-21 When our love grows weak in this point, we need to strengthen our faith Rom. 4:20 It was on Calvary that Jesus shed His blood for the remission of everyone s sins Luke 23:33 8
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Stanza # 4 Tells us that Calvary was the scene of Jesus agony and death for us: There behold His agony, Suffered on the bitter tree; See His anguish, see His faith, Love triumphant still in death By reading the scriptures, we can behold His agony as He suffered on the bitter tree Luke 23:34-38 Also, we can see His faith as He spoke to the penitent thief while on the cross Luke 23:39-43 We can also see His triumphant love in His death that He suffered for the sins of the world Luke 23:44-46 9
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Stanza # 5 Tells us that thinking about Gethsemane and Calvary should cause us to make a full self-sacrifice for Christs cause: Then to life I turn again, Learning all the worth of pain, Learning all the might that lies in a full self-sacrafice While it is good to think on His suffering and death in Gethsemane and on Calvary respectively, we must give attention to life again and our responsibility in view of His prayers and supplications for us Heb. 5:7-9 By giving thought to His suffering and death, we can gain greater insight to the nature of His grief and pain Isaiah 53:4-5 10
When my love to Christ grows weak #350 - Songs of Faith and Praise Stanza # 5 Tells us that thinking about Gethsemane and Calvary should cause us to make a full self-sacrifice for Christs cause: Then to life I turn again, Learning all the worth of pain, Learning all the might that lies in a full self-sacrafice So, we can conclude that just as Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross, we must be willing to deny ourselves and bear the cross in a full self- sacrifice as well Luke 9:23-26; Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me 11
Bible Teaching Concerning Faith What CAN happen: Fail Luke 23:32 Deny it 1 Tim. 5:8 Depart from it 1 Tim. 4:1 Be shipwrecked 1 Tim. 1:19 Strayor err 1 Tim. 6:10, 21 Overthrow 2 Tim. 2:18 Not pursue 1 Tim. 6:11-12 Become an unbeliever Heb. 3:12 What SHOULD happen: Groweth exceedingly 2 Thess. 1:3 Increase in faith Luke 17:5 Strengthened Col. 1:11; Eph. 3:16 12
CONCLUSION This hymn does not mention the emblems Christ instituted to be used when we remember His suffering and death on the cross But it is appropriate to be sung to prepare our minds before we partake of the Lord s Supper on each first day of the week This hymn is not limited to the Lord s Supper, because thinking of the suffering and agony of Jesus will help one to be more faithful 13
WHEN MY LOVE TO CHRIST GROWS WEAK
What Shall We Do? Acts 2:37 Alien sinners must Hear the Gospel Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:6 Believe it John 8:24 Repent of sin in your life Acts 17:30 Confess that Christ is God s Son Matthew 10:32 Be baptized to wash away your sins Acts 2:38 An erring child of God must Repent and Pray for Forgiveness 1 John 1:7-9 Endure Trials & be faithful unto death Revelation 2:10 15
