Join, All Who Love The Savior’s Name

The Apostle Paul instructed the believers at Colosse to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. That is what I hope to do by explaining the meaning of this hymn, against the backdrop of the Framework of Sovereign Grace.

---

[An automated transcript of the teaching video]

The Apostle Paul instructed the believers at Colosse to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. That’s precisely what I hope to do by explaining the meaning of this hymn—Join All Who Love The Savior’s Name. I hope to give an explanation of the hymn against the backdrop of the Framework of Sovereign Grace, which is God’s master plan for the ages.

You’ll notice the author of the hymn is Samuel Medley. Samuel Medley was an 18th century particular Baptist preacher. He served for 27 years as pastor of the church meeting at Byrom Street in Liverpool.

There are seven stanzas to the hymn. I like to read them for you.

1 Join, all who love the Savior’s name,

To sing His everlasting fame;

Great God! prepare each heart and voice,

In Him for ever to rejoice.

2 Of Him what wondrous things are told!

In Him what glories I behold!

For Him I gladly all things leave;

To Him, my soul, for ever cleave.

3 In Him my treasure’s all contained;

By Him my feeble soul’s sustained;

From Him I all things now receive;

Through Him my soul shall ever live.

4 With Him I daily love to walk;

Of Him my soul delights to talk;

On Him I cast my every care;

Like Him one day I shall appear.

5 Bless Him, my soul, from day to day,

Trust Him to bring thee on thy way;

Give Him thy poor, weak, sinful heart;

With Him, O never, never part;

6 Take Him for strength and righteousness;

Make Him thy refuge in distress;

Love Him above all earthly joy,

And Him in everything employ.

7 Praise Him in cheerful, grateful songs;

To Him your highest praise belongs;

’Tis He who does your heaven prepare,

And Him you’ll sing for ever there.

You’ll notice the hymn is calling upon the Lord’s people to honor the glorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to nurture an appreciation for the glorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and how God has a people who are called upon to honor that name, I’d like to take a few moments and review with you the Framework of Sovereign Grace, and then we’ll look at how each stanza fits within this framework.

The Triune Jehovah from eternity drew up a blueprint for all He would accomplish throughout the course of history. It was God the Father who took the lead in this plan, and the first thing He did was envision the entire human race without sin, out from which He chose to set His special love upon a group of people, men and women, making them vessels onto honor. And in Scripture they are often designated as the elect. As for the others of the human race, He set them aside as objects of less love, making them vessels unto dishonor. And, though they are not described in Scripture specifically as the non-elect, yet by implication, since God has an elect people, we know that there must also be non-elect. The Scriptures will sometimes refer to the non-elect, however, as the reprobate.

Now, having made this choice, it pleased the Father to determine how He would bring the entire human race into existence. It would be in a time continuum and in a purpose built world. Both the elect and the non-elect would be brought into the world in this fashion. It pleased the Father to create the first person—a man named Adam, and on the heart or soul of Adam was inscribed a law. And God established with Adam a covenant of works, requiring of Adam perfect obedience to the law inscribed upon his heart. A transgression of that law would be sin and a violation of the covenant of works. In so much that when Adam did sin, it killed his soul. He became dead spiritually in his sin and was brought under the wrath and condemnation of God. It pleased the Father that Adam should be appointed the covenant head for the entire human race, so that Adam’s sin and the wrath and condemnation of God upon Adam and his sin, would then be passed to all of Adam’s children, both the elect and the non elect. Which is why when you and I are brought into this world, we are conceived in sin, under the judicial condemnation of God, and shaped in iniquity, a sinful nature imparted to our souls. And that’s the big problem, you see, of sinners. We have a sinful nature imparted to the soul, and we are under the judicial condemnation of God.

Now, it pleased the Father in this master plan to leave the non-elect to themselves in their sins. Forthwith, they became the vessels of wrath and the vessels of wooden earth, fitted to destruction. No plan, or promise of salvation, was made or procured for the non-elect.

However, because God the Father had already set His electing love upon this remnant of the human race, it pleased the Father to devise a plan of salvation to deliver His people from their sins. And it’s a twofold plan.

The first part of the Father’s plan was to give this people to His Son. And from eternity, the Son of God received this people to Himself as a gift, and He set His everlasting love upon them. The Father also appointed the Son to serve as their Redeemer. You see, the Father originally owns this people by His electing love, but having chosen that they should be sold into sin, the Father is devising a way of redeeming, or purchasing back, this people to himself. This work of redemption would require, when the fullness of time had come, for the Father to send forth His Son into the world, preparing for His Son a body and a soul, in the union of the God-man, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save His people from their sins. And there are two main things He did to save them from their sins.

First, the Lord Jesus Christ was placed under the covenant of works with the heart law inscribed upon his soul. The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed that law, thereby earning righteousness for His people. The second thing Jesus did—He offered Himself a sacrifice to God and a substitute for His people. The Lord Jesus Christ, through the shedding of His precious blood, made an atonement for His people. Their sins were put on Christ at Calvary, the wrath and judgment of God was poured out on Christ, and Christ suffered, bled, and died, paying the penalty of those sins. Henceforth, the transaction was completed. The Lord Jesus Christ would give His righteousness to His people and take from His people their sins, paying their debt in full. And, it’s in this way God the Father freely justifies His people through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

And you see the Lord Jesus Christ then is made a Prince and a Savior for His people. God the Father has given to Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. And, that is why Samuel Medley is calling upon the Lord’s people—“All who loved the Savior’s name”—to honor that name. He is our Prince! He is our Savior!

But the second part of the Father’s plan of salvation was to give this people also to His Spirit. And, from eternity, the Spirit of God received them to Himself as a gift. The Spirit of God set His everlasting love upon them. And the Father appointed the spirit to serve as their Sanctifier. And the work of sanctification begins with regeneration. You see, throughout the course of history, all of God’s elect people that are brought into this world—at some point in their earthly existence—the Spirit of God conquers the heart and He unites the soul with the Lord Jesus Christ. The life and graces of Christ flow into the soul, making the soul alive unto God and enabling the soul to savingly believe on Christ. And that is the beginning of the Christian life.

Now you see, that’s what Samuel Medley is driving at. He’s calling upon all of us who have been born again; regenerated by the Spirit of God; those who have the love of Christ imparted to our souls; or, our souls opened to receive and apprehend the love of Christ to us; we are called upon to honor the glorious name of the Lord Jesus, our Prince and our Savior.

With that background, allow me now to turn your attention to the stanzas of the hymn.

Stanza 1

“Join, all who love the Savior’s name, 

To sing His everlasting fame;”

The word fame is referring to the good news we are given concerning the Lord Jesus Christ—all, and much, much more that I’ve just explained to you regarding what the Father, Son, and Spirit have devised from eternity, and what They bring to pass in time. All of this is the everlasting fame of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is what we are to sing in honor and glory to him. But listen, 

“Great God! prepare each heart and voice,

In Him for ever to rejoice.”

You see, that’s the importance of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Having been born again, the Spirit of God indwells the soul and it is He Who makes us willing and able to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. And He must therefore prepare our hearts and voices to worship Christ in spirit and in truth. 

Stanza 2

“Of Him what wondrous things are told!”

Of Christ—again, as I’ve just explained, all the Father has chosen to do from eternity and what He brings to pass throughout the course of history, these are the wondrous things that are told in Him.

“In Him what glories I behold!”

That is, having been born again, with our union with Christ and His life and graces flowing into our souls, I now personally behold in my own experience; with my own spiritual eyes and spiritual ears; I now behold the glory of God in Christ.

“For Him I gladly all things leave;”

When we are born again, we are given a love for the Triune Jehovah, and such is that affection, that love, that commitment, that consecration, that we freely, we gladly, we cheerfully leave everything behind. Those things we one time counted most precious to our souls, we now count but dung in comparison to the excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“To Him, my soul, for ever cleave.”

Let us never backslide, in the sense that we would cleave to other things or other people of this earth more than we cleave to Jehovah himself. Now that we have been regenerated, He is the object of our supreme love. And therefore, yes, we say to our souls, cleave to no one and nothing, more deeply than to God Himself! 

Stanza 3

“In Him my treasure’s all contained;”

It’s true! In Christ all spiritual blessings in heavenly places are prepared and procured and secured for us. And, it’s the Spirit of God Who communicates those treasures or blessings to our souls. It begins with regeneration and continues in our journey with God as strangers and pilgrims in this world. The Spirit of God is continually communicating these treasures stored up in Christ to us.

What are some of the treasures we have in Christ? Well, we usually think of things such as forgiveness of sins and pardon. And this truly is a great treasure—to have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ! But there’s many more treasures than that. Aside from peace with God and the forgiveness of sins, there is also joy—the joy of Christ that’s imparted to our souls. Satisfaction, contentment, but paradoxically also, a hunger and thirst after righteousness. We are given things like meekness and gentleness, longsuffering. We are given the various attributes Christ refers to in Matthew chapter five—to be mournful in spirit. That is, we’re in a constant state of sorrow because of our sinfulness, but that’s counterbalanced of course by the joy that’s also imparted to our hearts through Christ. These are all spiritual blessings that are bestowed upon us. So in Christ, all of our treasures are contained. And they’re of greater worth than the riches this world is able to purchase for us. They’re of greater value than our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, our husband or wife. As valuable as those earthly attachments are, none of the blessings we get from them are of greater worth than the blessings we have in Christ!

“By Him my feeble soul’s sustained;”

Only those regenerated by the Spirit of God know the truth of that line. Most people in this world think their feeble soul is sustained by themselves. Their self-help—the work that they produce upon their souls. Many people turn, as I mentioned a few moments ago, to family members, to friends, to nurture their feeble souls. But none of those things are able to give a true spiritual satisfaction and strength. It’s only by Christ. We are made truly strong in spirit for its through Christ, through his strength, we can do all things in him.

“From Him I all things now receive;”

 Not only the treasures do I receive from Him, and the strength of my soul, but also the circumstances He chooses to place me in. If he chooses today to make me rich and to give me the comforts this world has to provide, I rejoice. But if tomorrow I wake up and those riches are gone, and rather than comfort, I am experiencing a measure of suffering, so I receive it. Whether it’s a gain or a loss, a blessing or a burden, I’m able to endure all things, enjoy all things contentedly, because it’s from Christ, knowing it’s His good pleasure for this stage of my pilgrimage—in my journey—with him.

“Through Him my soul shall ever live.” 

And that’s the point. It doesn’t matter what my gains and losses are in this world as a stranger in pilgrim, so long as Christ will never leave me nor forsake me, that’s my contentment.

Stanza 4

“With Him I daily love to walk;

Of Him my soul delights to talk;”

Is that true for you, my friend? Do you love to walk with the Lord? You’ve woken this morning, climbed out of bed, prepared yourself for work, for your day’s activities, you prepared a breakfast, you’re all ready to go. Have you spent any time this morning communing with the Lord, walking with him on your way to work or school? Are you going to be communing with the Lord and walking with him as you get on the bus, or the train, or in in your car, sitting in traffic, throughout this day? As you interact with work colleagues or students at school, or teachers, or other people on the streets, will you be walking with the Lord at the same time as conversing with everybody around you? And will you be speaking of your delight in Him? Will He be the topic of your conversations? 

“On Him I cast my every care;

Like Him one day I shall appear.”

That’s a blessed truth, my friend. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that He might exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. That’s First Peter chapter five, I believe, verses six and seven maybe. And the idea is this, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time—while you’re under the mighty hand of God, all of those cares and burdens that are on your shoulder, cast them on top of the mighty hand of God. And you see, He will now carry the burdens for you while you find your refuge under the shadow of His mighty hand. And so is the meaning of the stanza—for on Him, cast your every care; like Him one day you shall appear. 

Stanza 5

“Bless Him, my soul, from day to day,

Trust Him to bring thee on thy way;

Give Him thy poor, weak, sinful heart;

With Him, O never, never part;”

Don’t attempt, my dear friend, to maintain favor with God by keeping the law inscribed upon your heart. If you try to maintain favor with God by loving Him supremely or loving your neighbor as yourself, you’ll fail. You’ll never maintain favor with God that way! And worse than that, if you attempt to bring yourself under the Ten Commandments as a rule of conduct while walking with the Lord, you’ll fail even more miserably attempting to obey those laws, maintaining favor with God. No, no! Listen, there’s only one way to maintain favor with God, and that is to give your poor, weak, sinful heart to Him. And as we find in the next stanza—

Stanza 6

“Take Him for strength and righteousness;”

Christ alone is what gives you favor with God. Not your works, not your obedience to the law, even after you’ve been born again, especially after you’ve been born again. You’re not to maintain favor with God by doing good works. You, my friend, are to enjoy favor with God because of the good works Jesus Christ has done for you. You bask under the glory and the strength and the righteousness and the sanctification of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as you’re basking under the righteousness and good works of Christ, the Spirit of God will work in you, that you also will be producing good works. But those good works will not be you attempting to maintain favor with God. They’ll be a side product, a byproduct of you simply walking with God in Christ, because He is your righteousness and your obedience. Therefore, 

“Make Him thy refuge in distress;”

If you pick up the phone today and receive bad news, before you turn to your wife, or your husband, or your mother, father, or to a best friend for support and refuge, why don’t you first turn to the Lord Jesus Christ? Make Him your ultimate refuge in distress. And only then when you find your refuge in Christ, turn to your other family and friends for a supplemental support.

“Love Him above all earthly joy,

And Him in everything employ.”

That is, do all things unto the name and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Stanza 7

“Praise Him in cheerful, grateful songs;”

Our song should always be full of joy and gratitude to him. 

“To Him your highest praise belongs;”

Listen, if you’re tempted today to commend and praise a friend, a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife, for the good things you see them accomplish, be sure you never give them more praise than you give to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, whatever good things you see in others accomplished, it’s ultimately a gift that God has given to those people to accomplish them, so that God should always receive the highest honor and praise above all others.

’Tis He who does your heaven prepare,

And Him you’ll sing for ever there.”

In other words, if we’re going to sing the glories of Christ forever in heaven, then why aren’t we singing the glories of Christ while walking as strangers in pilgrims on this earth? 

Join all who love the Savior’s name! Do you love the Savior’s name? Then, my dear friend, it is your privilege to join me now in singing this hymn.

---

---