Episode 2
Christ Liveth in Me by Daniel Whittle
A man goes to war with gruesome results. A young boy is crying out on his death bed. Scripture prevails in the midst of it all.
Daniel Whittle experienced triumph in the midst of a prisoner of war camp. He went on to write over one hundred hymns, and today, we're looking at one of them: Christ Liveth in Me. The truths expressed here are life changing if we just lay hold of them!
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Timestamps
- [00:03] - Who is Daniel Whittle?
- [02:10] - What are some Bible truths found in Christ Liveth in Me?
- [09:28] - What should I do about it?
Scripture References
John 17:25-26: "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."
Galatians 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."
John 1:14-17: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Galatians 4:1-7: "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
John 14:16-17: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
Ephesians 1:13-14: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
John 1:12: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"
1 Corinthians 3:16: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
Romans 8:9-11: "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."
Ephesians 2:1-7: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
2 Corinthians 4:3-6: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
John 15:4-5: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
Proverbs 11:30: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."
John 8:12: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Matthew 5:14-16: "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
John 13:34-35: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Romans 8:28-30: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Philippians 3:20-21: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
1 John 3:1-3: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
Colossians 1:21-29: "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily."
Matthew 7:22-23: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Research Resources
Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs by Melody Publications (#411)
Cyber Hymnal (accessed on 5/1/24): http://hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/h/i/t/t/whittle_dw.htm
Transcript
Welcome back to Understanding Hymns for Everyday Life.
::Daniel Webster Whittle, born in 1840, was named by his father after Daniel Webster, the senator. His Christian mother taught him about God, but he didn't get saved until he was an adult.
::He married Abigail Hanson the day before he left to serve in the American Civil War. During his service, he lost his right arm, was captured, and taken to a prisoner of war camp. While recovering, he ended up with a New Testament in his possession, which he began to read regularly. And while he came to understand the truth about Christ, he still did not trust Him as Savior.
::The turning point in his life came when he was asked by hospital worker to pray with a dying prisoner. He had no intention of doing so, but the worker pressed the matter, presuming that he was a Christian because of his consistent Bible reading. He wrote, "I dropped on my knees and held the boy's hand in mine. In a few broken words, I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believe right there that he did forgive me. I then prayed earnestly for the boy. He became quiet and pressed my hand as I prayed and pleaded God's promises. When I arose from my knees, he was dead. A look of peace had come over his troubled face, and I cannot but believe that God, who used him to bring me to the Savior, used me to lead him to trust in Christ's precious blood and find pardon. I hope to meet him in heaven."
::This moment of receiving Christ transformed his life, but he hadn't yet fully surrendered to God's will for him. Post war, Whittle took up a role as the treasurer at a watch company. And one day at midnight, as he was in the absolute still quiet of the vault, he recorded, "I gave my life to my heavenly father to use as he would."
::Not long after, he set out on a life of evangelism, during which he wrote something like 137 different hymns. Today, we're looking at one of those songs, entitled, _Christ Liveth in Me_.
::Let's start with the chorus. Christ liveth in me, Christ liveth in me. Oh, what a salvation this, that Christ liveth in me. If we could just marinate on that concept, it would change our lives.
::Jesus, in His time on this earth, speaking to God the Father, says, "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me, and I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."
::God wants to live in us.
::Paul writes, "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."
::According to the original order , 1 says this. " As lives the flower within the seed, As in the cone the tree, So praise the God of truth and grace, His Spirit dwelleth in me."
::Speaking of Jesus, John writes, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, he that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
::Paul writes to the Galatians, "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts."
::Paul has to write to the Corinthians, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
::The second verse of the song says, " Once far from God and dead in sin, No light my heart could see, But in God's Word the light I found. Now Christ liveth in me."
::Paul writes to the Ephesians, " And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace, ye are saved)."
::We were blind, but now we see because of the truth that God has revealed to us.
::Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
::His Word is our source of truth. We were dead in trespasses and sin, but if you've accepted Him as Savior and you've avoided being blinded by Satan, " the god of this world", then you have Christ living in you.
::The third verse says, " As rays of light from yonder sun the flowers of earth set free, So life and light and love came forth from Christ living in me."
::So there's three things that come forth out of us when Christ lives in us: life, light, and love.
::Jesus said, "I am the vine. Ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me, ye can do nothing."
::We know that "the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. And he that winneth souls is wise."
::Jesus teaches the disciples, "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
::But interestingly, Jesus also taught them, "Ye are the light of the world. ... let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
::It's not that we bring credit to ourselves by doing what God wants us to do: we glorify the Father.
::Jesus said "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
::Part of the fruit of the Spirit is love.
::So we see that life and light and love are supposed to come forth of our lives because of our relationship with Christ.
::And then the fourth verse, "With longing all my heart is filled that like Him I may be, as on the wondrous thought I dwell, that Christ liveth in me."
::We understand that God wants to conform us to the image of his Son.
::Paul wrote to the Philippians, "For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
::We're going to be fashioned like Him. That doesn't mean we become God or we become equal with God. But there is something about our bodies that is going to be fashioned like Him.
::John wrote, " Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
::Knowing that Christ is coming back one day should change our behavior. It should make us look forward to that day where we will be more like Jesus.
::So let me challenge you.
::First. I must ask: does Christ live in you? Does His Spirit dwell in you? You can only rightfully say yes if you have trusted Jesus's death burial and resurrection to save you from your sin Going to church and being religious does not mean you are God's child and that He lives in you.
::In fact, Jesus said, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
::Do you see it? Getting to God is not about what you do for yourself. It's not even about what you do for Him. It's about what He did for you. Would you simply cease trusting yourself and trust Him today?
::If His Spirit does live in you, here's your challenge. Are you living filled by His Spirit? Is your heart overwhelmed with praise for the One who saved you? Are you continuing to look to His Word for light and guidance? Are you seeking opportunities to share His goodness with others? And are you looking with eager anticipation to His return when we shall be made like Him?
::If any of these areas prove troublesome for you, and they definitely do for me, then let this song be a refreshing reminder to you that Christ doesn't just visit, He lives in us believers. Rest in that fact and allow the Spirit of God to guide you through every part of life. Ask for His help in the many ways that we fail, and just learn to enjoy relying on Him.
::Christ desires to live in us. He is the only rightful ruler of our hearts. God bless you, dear listener, as you consider the truths of His Word and use this song to meditate on them. As you go throughout this next week, I hope you will not only embrace Christ living in you, but that you will let His life, light, and love shine out of your heart to help others along the way.
::It can only be done in His power. Jesus. Name above all names.
