00:00Jesus
00:05Written in 1882, the lyrics of the popular hymn, Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, have
00:13been sung by Christians for over a hundred years, clinging to the hope and truth that
00:19Jesus saves.
00:20Each verse penned by Louisa M. R. Stead is incredibly sobering.
00:25Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take him at his word, just to rest upon his promise,
00:34and to know, thus saith the Lord.
00:36O how sweet to trust in Jesus, just to trust his cleansing blood, and in simple faith to
00:43plunge me, neath the healing, cleansing flood.
00:47Yes, tis sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease, just from Jesus simply
00:55taking.
00:56Life and rest, and joy and peace.
00:59I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, precious Jesus, Savior, friend.
01:04And I know that thou art with me.
01:07Wilt be with me to the end.
01:09This beautiful hymn was written out of disaster.
01:13Stead came to the United States in 1871 and had hoped to be a missionary, but she was unable
01:19to do to poor health.
01:21Later, she married and had a daughter named Lily.
01:24When Lily was four, the family went to enjoy a picnic on Long Island Sound when they heard
01:30a young boy screaming as he was drowning.
01:33Mr. Stead rushed to help him, but sadly, both Mr. Stead and the boy drowned and were killed.
01:39What started as a normal day ended in death and sadness.
01:44Left as a widow and without a father, Louisa and Lily learned to trust Jesus even in the worst
01:50of circumstances.
01:51This is the incident that inspired the words.
01:55Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.
01:58Just to take him at his word.
02:00Just to rest upon his promise.
02:03And to know, thus saith the Lord.
02:06In Luke 1 verse 31, the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary and said,
02:10Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
02:16The name Jesus means Savior.
02:19Matthew 1 verse 21 tells us this name is given because,
02:24He will save his people from their sins.
02:27Sin is what separates us from a holy God.
02:30In his perfect plan, at just the right time, God sent his son Jesus to earth to restore our
02:37relationship back to himself.
02:39To reconcile the loss.
02:41To redeem all mankind.
02:43To defeat sin and death once and for all.
02:46God sent Jesus to save us, you and me, sinners desperately in need of saving from that which
02:52we could not save ourselves.
02:55Without a personal relationship with Jesus, we are hopeless.
02:58Without Jesus, death means eternal separation from the one true holy God.
03:04But with Jesus, we are saved.
03:07Pause and think about that.
03:09Through faith in Jesus alone, our relationship with the creator of heaven and earth is forever
03:15restored and eternal life is freely given.
03:18We are called children of God.
03:21No longer living in darkness without hope, but filled with the Holy Spirit and full of joy.
03:27That is good good news.
03:28That is why Jesus came.
03:31That is why, in the midst of tragedy, the words precious Jesus, Savior, friend, can be sung.
03:38Because, for the believer, death in this life means opening our eyes to the glory of heaven
03:43and seeing Jesus face to face.
03:46It is sweet to trust in Jesus, my friend.
03:48When we counsel young children for baptism, it is a precious time to talk one-on-one with a child
03:55about when they came to trust Jesus as Savior.
03:58We talk about having a relationship with Jesus and how following Jesus is a lifelong journey.
04:05One day at a time, one moment at a time.
04:08Choosing to trust Jesus as Savior is the very best decision any person can make.
04:14But then, every decision made after that reflects what you know and believe about who Jesus is.
04:20Jesus is worthy to be praised.
04:23He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
04:25He is trustworthy, faithful, working for our good, and seated at the right hand of the Father today,
04:33interceding on our behalf.
04:34It is my prayer that you know Jesus as your personal Savior this Christmas.
04:40Rest in the truth that Jesus is the most precious gift of all.
04:45Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him.
04:48How I've proved Him o'er and o'er.
04:51Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus.
04:54Oh for grace to trust Him more.
04:56Prayer
04:56Dear God, thank you for your Son, Jesus.
05:00It is sweet to trust Him.
05:02To know that Jesus is working for my good and to know Jesus never fails.
05:07Help me believe that truth, even when my circumstances are hard.
05:12Thank you for saving me from my sin.
05:15Something I cannot do on my own.
05:18Because of Jesus, I am able to have a right relationship with you and I am able to have
05:24eternal life.
05:25I am able to have hope.
05:27Help me to trust Jesus all the days of my life
05:30and obey you in all that I do and say.
05:33In Jesus' precious and holy name I pray, Amen.
