Fanny Crosby

Can you imagine what it would be like to be blind and for the first thing you ever see to be heaven.

Stevens looking at the life of Fanny Crosby as you know Fanny was blind and were looking at that today see fathers face through Christ saying you fathers house will mean the same day you may say why is it will be someone who was blind until they got membered blindness in her remarkable understanding how she endured her blindness and why she spent the latter part of her life writing hymns is where the real treasure of her legacy is found. Welcome to wisdom for the hard this is the teaching ministry of Stephen David Stephen typically teaches through books of the Bible, but in this series legacies of light.

Stephen is exploring the lives and legacies of several Christian heroes and martyrs settled in and be encouraged. Stephen shares with you some inspiring truths from the life of Fanny Crosby turn in your Bibles to the gospel by John in chapter 9 and you understand a little better why the disciples that the questions that they did John chapter 9 and verse one as he that is, Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from her and his disciples. Verse two asked him, Rabbi, that his teacher who said this man or his parents that he would be born blind now. You notice here. This is a grown man never been able to see this is the most irreversible case, you're going to file this guy is without a doubt, incurable notice. They asked who said this man or his parents, somebody send again by the concept of their day. This disability is associated with the wrath the anger, the discipline of God. Somebody somebody said somewhere so the Lord is at fault.

This was the prevalent view in the first set three and I fear even in the 21st century is that bad. Somebody somewhere did something wrong and this particular man here now in John chapter 9 has to pay for it for the rest of his life, somebody said look at verse three Jesus answered, it was neither this man sin, nor his parents but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him shocking news by going to this day, that kind of statement is both alarming or comforting, depending on where you are equation God was behind this disability. Jesus is effectively saying that everything is alternately secondary to God's purposes which are primary you imagine Jesus Christ stuns all of them hereby declaring this man's lifelong disability was actually land by God the father to bring glory to Christ at this moment in time. In this man's life with it credibility to the gospel that is because of what God is about to do. Got a son that is. He's about to turn this disabled man into a rather amazing passionate apologist in front of the religious leaders verse six. There when he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and apply the play to his eyes said to him, go wash all of the loan. Jesus Christ who knows the future, knows that he is going to use this blind man for the glory of God run the religious leadership of his day and so the first thing that Jesus doesn't like to point out a couple of things that he does to literally obliterate the rules of the said rules that had developed into doctrine.

Instead of simply speaking, this man is his heel.

He does what they would consider physical labor. You know when you're younger to be fond of you would not be were right so he's working the rabbis of Jesus.

They find the Sabbath rest so ridiculously that it met a man carrying a handkerchief from an upstairs room downstairs room of his hand were light a lamp or extinguish a lamp work could even cut his fingernails or pull a stray hair from his beard that women weren't even allowed to look into a mirror on the Sabbath, because they would be tempted fix something and more than likely engage in some kind of repair work on any further than that. So Jesus is actually setting up this conflict setting it up by making modern appliances. I've Jesus is applying a poultice as crude as it was these he's acting like a doctor. Again, the Jewish leaders didn't allow any medical work on the Sabbath, unless a person's life was in danger, you could work on Tuesday. Pour cold water on the sprained ankle that was off-limits.

So Jesus is obviously at work curing this man by intentionally breaking the traditions of the religious leaders that meant absolutely nothing course to God's word choice working with his hands and knees obviously giving this man medical treatment affected you notice the Jesus even prescribed a remedy by telling the man to go wash himself off will slow. In other words, I want you to go work to Jesus is deliberately setting up this this this drama so that the religious leaders are going to be boxed into a corner where they will either have to rethink their false religious traditions or deny the obvious hand of God blindness. They believe could only be cured at the hand of God. So Jesus must be God incarnate, or empowered by God, or this really didn't happen, which is exactly where they will land in Fort is manicured any engages with fearless courage and purposes, and expound on the chapter but if you read through it, he'll have two different conversations with these religious leaders.

Absolutely fascinating, and the crux of his apologetic is the Jesus Christ boils down to verse 32.

At least look this this cured man says this since the beginning of time it has never been to her that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

If this man were not from God. He could do nothing.

In other words, how can it be so obvious that they do nothing more than tell me the center verse 34 and kicked him out of the temple becomes an irrefutable testimony to the power of God through Jesus Christ, the son of God. Imagine God has allowed this man to suffer for his entire life, so that at this moment he can most effectively establish a witness to the authenticity of the power of Christ must be who must be moving the hand of God match this man's disability plan that bother you. The God of that sovereign that this could be purposed by God. Forget the fact that he was healed for a moment, every everyone of us by the word and healed one day okay, forget the fact that he was healed while he was still alive. God planned that this man would live the majority of his life line while not as a sin, because his parents sin go back again and look at the last part of verse three so that the works of God might be displayed in women that make life worth it. No matter how you suffer and every one of you suffer. Suffering is the universal language. Imagine that somehow that's suffering could allow the word of God to be displayed. We would never regret exactly what happened.

You cannot it cause me to think as well. In light of our series that the most prolific musical testimony in the history of the Christian church was a woman who testified courageously of her salvation. She would write him is like, and I shall see him face-to-face. Tell the story saved by grace. 8000 M to buy the copied more than 100 million times in more languages as well than any other hymn writer that she would write under 200 different pen names because hymnal publishers didn't want the public to know that she had entirely dominated the musical thing she would have as many as 40 him churning through her mind before writing them down will actually she never wrote any of them down because she was blind and her name was Francis Jane Crosby, her friends called her family growth.

She wasn't actually born blind. She caught a cold created rash around her eyes.

The family physician was away at the time of a country doctor was called treat her in the prescribed hot mustard poultices to be applied to her. I become swollen. This rash infection did clear up the treatment guard her eyes. It wasn't long after that Bailey's parents realize that she had lost her sight would be discovered later that this particular doctor was not even qualified to practice medicine.

He had quickly left town never been when she was five years old friends and neighbors for father having passed away a few years earlier, pool their funds to send her to the best eye specialist in the country. Dr. Valentine Martin. She could still remember even though she was five years old.

His diagnosis where he said to her, and I quote poor child. I am afraid you will never see again and but that wasn't her attitude of all. In fact, the first poem she would compose when she was only eight years old.

Goes like this. Oh what a happy child. I am although I cannot see I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be how many blessings I enjoy that other people don't. So we or side because I am blind, I cannot and I will pretty powerful for an eight-year-old girl. She would later write this if I could meet that Dr. now. I would say thank you for making me blind. It was intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life and I thank God the way he arranged that the powerful ballots.

By the way for the believer. The secondary cause might be a doctor unqualified to practice medicine makes a mistake, but the primary cause is the intentional plan and will and providence of God so that his work might be displayed in us through that one ability that God gave family and early on it was clear to others was a photographic memory affected neighbor took her under her wing and taught her the Bible would read to her. And by the time she was 10 years old. She could quote verbatim, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, the book of Proverbs.

Most of the books of of self-report songs along with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Pretty amazing. It was obvious that she was capable of formal education and so when she was 12 years old, he enrolled her in New York cities famous institution for the blind and she loved every subject epidemic.

Just dove in everything he loved every subject, except mathematics woman after my own heart. She even wrote a little poem to voice her frustration I went like this.

I love all the horror it makes me sick to hear the word arithmetic when she graduated she would become the institution's most famous teachers teach there for 23 years. Quickly she became famous for her poetry secular poetry secular songs even wrote the first secular cantata by an American composer called the flower Queen. She was published twice with books of poetry. Although Fanny Crosby knew much of the Bible.

As I mentioned by heart.

She did not know the Savior until she was 30 years old, she was invited to attend a revival in the sheep she went along that heard the gospel never resolved that her own life. That meeting, but it was interesting that it wasn't during the sermon, or afterward. It was during closing hymn written by Isaac Watts that she gave her life to Christ she would say later, in an interview when we began to say of the fifth stanza, and when we reached the third line here, Lord, I give myself away is all that I can do that. I did up to this point. She had yet to write one him jerk back there was still going to be 10 years later, she met William Bradbury famous hymn writer and publisher in each challenged her to use her incredible talent for the sake of the gospel and and and the right something poetic for the church, and so on the spot kind of as a bear. I can do that and I will she agree and she wrote her first him. It was published and she was 40 years of age she would go on to write more than 8000 hymns over the course of the next 51 years of her life.

She she did have a personal request.

She had a notebook where she would write anybody that she heard of trust in Christ as it was rare that her her hymns would be instrumental in leading 1 million people to faith in Jesus Christ by her hymns are so gospel Lori but little doubt that was achieve primarily because a man by the name of Ira D.

Sankey became a close friend of her that he was a musician for DL Moody and he introduced her to the publican begin to sing her him the course they would be picked up decades later by George Beverly Shea with Barrows of the Billy Graham Crusades. I think it's interesting that she came to faith in Christ that the singing of a him and God used heard the display his glory through her many know that come to faith through the singing of her whole from her personal testimony.

Three. Observation and and they are timeless.

First usability in one area of life is often created when we accept our inability in other areas, we say that again usability in one area of life is often created when we accept our inability. In other like what makes her testimony so compelling is her submission to an incredibly difficult life is nothing less than joyful submission to the providence of God. She and and and many others before and since remain a challenge to the church. Don't think to all of us in so many areas where where we might spend our lives pining away for us that God has bolted shots instead of looking at doors that God has opened why no, I want to do this.

No, I want you to do that instead of developing resentment or this resignation. She she maximize this opportunity. Ultimately, the work which would displayed in her make another observation. Second victory over one issue of suffering does not guarantee victim over every issue begin a study of someone's life not only brings up their successes reveals their failures. Fanny married a former student who had also enrolled at the instant line they had gotten to know each other. Becky started out as per student.

Even though 11 years younger than her.

They over the course of several years, fell in love. He also blind to become a proficient organist performing concerts and major cities year after their marriage. They had their only child daughter they would name fences.

Sadly, not long after her birth. She died ugly typhoid fever.

Fanny's husband Van grew more and more reclusive in his brief fact for the rest of her life. Fanny never spoke publicly of even having been a mother so deep was that one until later in life. She opened up about her years sorrow. Eventually, after years of living together intermittently. Fanny Van separated most biographers and historians conclude that this was the result of vans reclusive resentment, pain, sorrow of losing his little girl. I thought it was interesting was one thing, deal with the disability of blindness which both amazingly overcame too much to deal with the grief of Fanny responded that by writing him she entitled safe in the arms of God victory over one issue of suffering doesn't guarantee victory over every other so Fanny would spend the remaining 20 years of her life as a guest of wealthy patrons who appreciated her and supported her as she continued to compose 1M after another averaging four and five, sometimes 6 Day Is Her Way trusting Christ through grief and he read her him lyrics and they will all for heaven one more observation. Thirdly, disability both its cause and its cure. Ultimately the plan of our sovereign Lord. It ought to be our testimony, the grace of God and the trustworthiness of Jesus Christ are sufficient and and that's our daily challenges and it that this is ultimately from the hand of God like Joe, he gives us good.

He gives us grief he he he gives to us that which we would appreciate it. Take why was this man born blind in John chapter 9 is recorded. Why did God allow Fanny Crosby to be Miss diagnosed and this why do you even now suffer in whatever way you so that we can demonstrate trust in the grace and purposes of God's works of God might be displayed in you happen to be a sheet of music upon which a perfect loving intentional creative Lord is closing Harmon of his glory.

Grace and one day one day the tables are going to return those who suffered most, I believe, will say the loudest reminder today and I hope you've been inspired and encouraged by this look into the life of Fanny Crosby. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Davey Stevens right in the middle of a series called legacies of light. He's looking at some significant individuals from church history. These men and women have left a lasting legacy. If you missed any of the lessons in this series so far you can go online and listen to them on either our website or our app, just visit wisdom online.org or install the wisdom for the heart app to your smart phone. Stephen has a book that's based on this series and it's in stock and available now. He's taken these biographies and turn them into a beautiful hardback book. It makes a great gift for a friend or family member and would be a valuable resource in your personal library, give us a call at 86 648 Bible and we can give you information about getting a copy of the book legacies of light. You'll also find it on our website.

If you want to go there and learn more.

We recently heard from a listener who wrote to say this. Thank you for your hard work at studying and presenting your messages in a spirit filled, easy-to-understand way. Your ministry has brought me closer to Jesus was from a listener name Stephen it's our hope and prayer that God will use these messages to bless and encourage you in your water.

Christ, thanks for joining us today for wisdom for the heart will continue through this series. Next time and I hope you'll be with us