To God Be The Glory

Fanny J. Crosby has written more than 8,000 songs making her one of the most prolific hymn writers.  While many of her songs are popular, this one stood out to me as one with many references to scripture.  The repeated phrase "great things He has done" reminded me of Mark 7:37 (speaking of Christ) They were utterly astonished, saying, "He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

To God Be the Glory

by Fanny J. Crosby

To God be the glory, great things He has done;

Philippians 4:20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 71:19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?

So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,

Of Christ in 1 John 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Romans 10:13 for "whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

Psalm 106:1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Let the earth hear His voice!

Jeremiah 22:29 "O land, land, land, Hear the word of the LORD!"

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,

Psalm 113:1 Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD.

Let the people rejoice!

1 Chronicles 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

Of Jesus in Revelation 1:6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father - to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.

Refrain

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

To every believer the promise of God;

Ephesians 3:6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

The vilest offender who truly believes,

Luke 18:13 "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'

That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Luke 23:42-43 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Jesus said in John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 

Refrain


Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,

Of Jesus in Luke 4:22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" 

Jesus said in Luke 8:39 "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;

Of Jesus Christ in 1 Peter 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Refrain

Thou Art the Everlasting Word

The following hymn contains more doctrine of Christ than any hymn that I have seen.  I have seen it called Christo-centric.  It certainly is that.  What amazes me the most is that this hymn only begins to scratch the surface of the "unfathomable riches of Christ"  (Ephesians 3:8)!

Although it can be sung to any tune with the meter 8.6.8.6.8.8., the tune I am used to singing it to is ARABIA. 

Thou Art the Everlasting Word

by Josiah Conder

Thou art the everlasting Word,

Of Christ in John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The Father�s only Son;

Of Jesus in John 1:14  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God manifest, God seen and heard,

Of Jesus in 1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

The Heav�n�s belov�d one:

After Jesus' baptism, Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou

Revelation 5:11-12 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

That every knee to Thee should bow.

Philippians 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

In Thee most perfectly expressed
The Father�s self doth shine;

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Fulness of Godhead, too: the Blest,

Of Christ in Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

Of Christ in 1 Timothy 6:15 which He will bring about at the proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

Eternally divine.

Of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.

Image of th'Infinite Unseen,

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Whose being none can know;

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Matthew 11:27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Brightness of light no eye hath seen;

Of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1 Timothy 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

God's love revealed below:

1 John 4:9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.

The higher mysteries of Thy fame
The creature's grasp transcend;

Ephesians 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

The Father only Thy blest name
Of Son can comprehend:

Matthew 11:27 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Proverbs 30:4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name? Surely you know!

 Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.

Yet loving Thee, on whom His love
Ineffable doth rest,

Jesus prayed in John 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

The worshippers, O Lord, above,

Revelation 5:13-14 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.

As one with Thee are blest:

Jesus said in John 17:21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.

Of the vast universe of bliss,
The center Thou, and Sun;

Revelation 7:17 "for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

Malachi 4:2 "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall."

Th�eternal theme of praise is this,

Psalm 41:9 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

To Heav�n�s belov�d one:

2 Peter 1:17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased "- 

Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.

Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Getting to Know Each Other Games

1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.

At a recent Sunday School picnic, we used some games to help us get to know each other better.  As members of our local body it is good to get to know each other.  It helps us start conversations, develop relationships, and understand each other better.

Here are two mixer games that worked great to help people mingle and get to know each other.  Everyone had such fun that they weren't worried about winning!  Even after people won prizes, they kept going around to get more signatures.

The first game is Autograph Bingo or Signature Bingo.  Give everyone a copy of this printout.  Then, have them walk around the room asking people which spot they can sign (or to make it harder, allow them only to ask questions from the sheet).  With a larger group, each person can only sign someone's sheet once.  With a smaller group, you can allow each person to sign someone's sheet twice.  The first person with a full row, column, or diagonal filled in wins.  I had candy for about 10-15 winners.  If you cut off the game after the first winner it may be pretty short.

The second game is very similar.  I call it the Autograph Game.  Hand out this printout.  Then, have them mingle and get signatures of people that fit each statement.  The first one to get a signature for each statement wins (it's possible that there will be a statement that no one can sign).  In this game, each person can only sign someone's sheet once.

Please enjoy the games and share them with others!  Feel free to adapt them for your own use as well.

Five Senses Bible Lessons - Wrap Up (All Five Senses)

Lesson 6

Sense: All Five Senses
Story:  Jacob Steals the Blessing
Verse:  Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

Review the differences between Jacob and Esau (include who was oldest)
Tell story about Jacob stealing the Blessing: Genesis 27:1-9

Make a set of five senses cards for each child (each set should have a picture of mouth/tongue, ear, eyes, nose, hands).  As you tell the story, have students hold up cards that match the senses that you are talking about (see � Jacob blind; smell � smells like Esau; taste � eat the stew; touch � feels like Esau; hear � doesn�t sound like Esau�)

Jacob and Esau worksheet � such as one from:
http://www.dltk-bible.com/old_testament/jacob_and_Esau-activities.htm
http://www.biblefunforkids.com/2013/07/genesis-jacob-esau.html
http://gardenofpraise.com/bibl4s.htm

Discussion:

Was Jacob justified in using deceit to get the blessing?  Do you think Jacob would have received the blessing if he wouldn�t have taken matters into his own hands?  How did his deceit affect his relationship with his brother?

5 Senses Craft

Supplies: paper plate, glue, stapler, small fabric �blindfold�,  cotton balls, spice mix, crayons, marker, construction paper, something to imitate hair (I used a cut up fuzzy glove), plastic spoon, smoky cotton ball (see lesson on fiery furnace), fabric scraps

Have the students draw a face on the plate and then glue or staple it to the construction paper.  Staple on one side of the blindfold and discuss the story about Elisha.  Have them trace their hands on a piece of construction paper, cut them out and glue them onto the background.  Then have them rub a glue stick on the bowl of the spoon and dip it in the spice mix.  Glue the spoon onto one of the hands.  Talk about how Esau sold his birthright for stew.   Glue some hair onto the back of the other hand and talk about how Jacob pretended to be Esau.  Have them glue some cotton balls on the bottom corner and draw a head and legs on the sheep.  They should write �baa� on their paper to remind them how Samuel could tell that Saul was lying when he heard the sheep bleating.  Then, draw a furnace in the top corner and glue on the smoky cotton ball.  Talk about how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn�t even smell like smoke after being in the fiery furnace.  This isn�t in the picture, but you can also glue a fabric scrap to one hand and talk about how the woman touched the edge of Jesus� garment and was healed.

Discussion:

What are the 5 senses? Can we always trust our senses?  What can we trust?  How can our senses be bad for us? (tempt us, distract us from trusting God)  How can our senses be good for us? (cause us to praise God for His creation, teach us about Him)

5 Senses Bible Drill

Have a Bible drill with the verses listed below.  Have the student that finds the verse first read the verse and name which of the five senses it mentions.  Ask the students what each verse tells us about our senses.

Psalm 34:8
James 1:22
Genesis 3:3
1 Corinthians 12:17
Numbers 13:18
Psalm 119:103
Matthew 9:21
Joshua 6:5
Matthew 25:39
Luke 14:24
Leviticus 11:8
Luke 8:46

Here are links to all the lessons in the Five Senses Bible Lesson Unit:
1 - Taste
2 - Touch
3 - Sight
4 - Smell
5 - Hearing
6 - Wrap-up (uses all senses)

What do you think?

Would you change anything?  Add anything?  Would you have used a different story that brings out all five senses?  Would you have used a different memory verse?  I'd love to hear your input!!

Did you try this lesson?

I'd love to hear how it went!  What worked?  What didn't work?  Would you change anything?

Click here for all of my Bible Lessons Unit:

Five Senses Bible Lessons - Hearing

Lesson 5 - Hearing

Story: Saul Disobeys

Theme: Obey God completely.

Verse:  Luke 11:28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Introduction:  

Today we will be talking about our sense of hearing.  Every time you hear the word "hear" during class put your hand to your ears.

Play the Identify Sounds Game:

Before the lesson, find familiar sounds and record them on a tape, mp3 player, or laptop.  Play the sounds for the kids and have them write down what they think they are.  Check to see if they have the correct answers.  The sounds I used were a baseball bat, bees swarming, camera, car driving, guitar, helicopter, ocean waves, door opening, popcorn popping, pouring cereal, vacuum, and zipper.  I found the sounds on the internet here. 

Tell the story of Saul disobeying � 1 Samuel 15

Play the game �Samuel Says� (like Simon Says).

Make a lying tongue craft:

Supplies: 2 paper plates per child, scissors, red construction paper, crayons or markers

Before the lesson, cut a slit in each paper plate where the mouth would be.  Create tongues (just slightly smaller than the width of your slit) on the red paper with notches on the end to keep it from going through the slit. 

During the lesson, have the students draw a happy face on one plate and a mean/sad face on the other.  Then, have them write �Truthful lips endure forever � Proverbs 12:19� on one tongue and �A lying tongue is only for a moment � Proverbs 12:19� on the other.  They can insert the tongue through the slit.  They can also just leave the verse reference showing and let their parents pull the tongue all the way out to read the full verse.  Talk about how Saul lied to cover his disobedience.  Ask them if it helped.

Play �Caught in the Web�

Supplies: string, scissors (for easier clean up)

Have the students make a web by wrapping the string around things around the room.  Then, have a child try to walk through the web.  Have the rest of the kids hold onto a piece of string.  Count to five while the child tries to walk through and then the students gently pull the string up to catch the person in the web.  Talk about how Saul was caught getting disobeyed.  Ask them if it�s possible to not get caught.  Ask them who sees everything we do.

Play �whisper down the alley� using the Bible verse (Lk 11:28).

Discussion: Who should we obey?  When we don�t obey, what can happen?  What gave away that Saul had not obeyed?  Samuel says that Obedience is better than sacrifice.  Why?

Here are links to all the lessons in the Five Senses Bible Lesson Unit:
1 - Taste
2 - Touch
3 - Sight
4 - Smell
5 - Hearing
6 - Wrap-up (uses all senses)

What do you think?

Anything you would have done differently?  A different memory verse?  Do you know a game or a craft that would also work well?  Would you have used a different story altogether?  I'd love to hear your input?

Click here for all of my Bible Lessons Unit:

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