Annie Poonen - “O love that will not let me go” by George Matheson

Annie PoonenFebruary 28, 202212mWatch on YouTube

Speaker: Annie Poonen Title: “O love that will not let me go” by George Matheson Date: 02/27/2022 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The sermon uses George Matheson's hymn, "O love that will not let me go," to illustrate that true life and spiritual vision are found through surrender to God, especially amidst suffering. Matheson's own life, marked by blindness and personal tragedy, led him to realize that earthly loves fade, but God's eternal love endures. The core message is that by yielding our lives to the Lord, our struggles become pathways to an abundant, joyful life mirroring Christ's sacrifice.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

Introducing the hymn 'O Love That Will Not Let Me Go'The speaker shares about a beautiful hymn from her college days written by George Matheson, focusing on the message of the song rather than just the man's biography.

Facing blindness and finding supportMatheson discovered he was losing his eyesight as a teenager, but with the dedicated help of his loving sister who learned Greek, Hebrew, and Latin to tutor him, he became a successful pastor.

The pain of his sister's marriage and writing the hymnWhen his sister decided to get married after years of caring for him, it was a massive personal blow that drove him to cling to the Lord, inspiring him to write the famous hymn in just five minutes.

Thanking God for the thornIn his personal writings, Matheson reflected on how he had thanked God thousands of times for roses but never for his thorn, eventually realizing the value of the path of pain.

An eye that never sleeps and a love that never failsAs his earthly vision grew dim, Matheson realized that God's eye, ear, arm, and love never fail even when human strength and earthly loves decay.

Surrendering the will to end the battleCircumstances can feel like a cage and cause a mental battle, but when the will is completely surrendered to the Lord, that battle ends.

First Verse: Rest for the weary soulThe first verse speaks of resting a weary soul in God's love, where our self-life flows into the ocean of God to become richer and fuller.

Second Verse: The light that follows all my wayIn his blindness, Matheson yielded his flickering earthly torch to God, experiencing the brighter sunshine and glory of God's spiritual light day by day.

Third Verse: Joy that seeketh me through painGod uses pain to speak to us and bring us back to Himself, allowing us to trace the rainbow through the rain and experience a morning without self-pity.

Fourth Verse: The cross that lifts up the headJust as Jesus surrendered on the cross, accepting the crosses and deaths to self that God allows in our lives leads to an endless, abundant life of joy.

Warning against an attitude of discontentWhen going through difficult situations, people often develop an inward grumbling spirit and discontent over circumstances that do not go their way.

Recognizing who we grumble againstReferring to the Israelites in the wilderness, Moses reminded the people that their complaints against their circumstances and leaders were actually complaints against God Himself.Exodus 16:6

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Annie Poonen - “O love that will not let me go” by George Matheson

Annie Poonen · February 28, 2022 · 12m

When life is hard Following Jesus

Summary

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

An eye that never sleeps and a love that never failsAs his earthly vision grew dim, Matheson realized that God's eye, ear, arm, and love never fail even when human strength and earthly loves decay.

Surrendering the will to end the battleCircumstances can feel like a cage and cause a mental battle, but when the will is completely surrendered to the Lord, that battle ends.

First Verse: Rest for the weary soulThe first verse speaks of resting a weary soul in God's love, where our self-life flows into the ocean of God to become richer and fuller.

Third Verse: Joy that seeketh me through painGod uses pain to speak to us and bring us back to Himself, allowing us to trace the rainbow through the rain and experience a morning without self-pity.

Fourth Verse: The cross that lifts up the headJust as Jesus surrendered on the cross, accepting the crosses and deaths to self that God allows in our lives leads to an endless, abundant life of joy.

Warning against an attitude of discontentWhen going through difficult situations, people often develop an inward grumbling spirit and discontent over circumstances that do not go their way.

Session 4 of 6

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Annie Poonen - “O love that will not let me go” by George Matheson

Summary

Outline

Transcript

Related messages

Annie Poonen - “O love that will not let me go” by George Matheson

Summary

Transcript

Outline

Session 4 of 6

Related messages