I’ve turned my back upon the world

1
I’ve turned my back upon the world
  With all its idle pleasures,
And set my heart on better things,
  On higher, holier treasures;
No more its glitter and its glare,
  And vanity shall blind me;
I’ve crossed the separating line,
  And left the world behind me.
  Far, far behind me!
  Far, far behind me!
I’ve crossed the separating line,
  And left the world behind me.
2
I’ve left the old sad life of sin,
  Its follies all forsaken;
My standing place is now in Christ,
  His holy vows I’ve taken;
Beneath the standard of the cross
  The world henceforth shall find me;
I’ve passed in Christ from death to life,
  And left the world behind me.
  Far, far behind me!
  Far, far behind me!
I’ve passed in Christ from death to life,
    And left the world behind me.
3
My soul shall ne’er return again
  Back to its former station
For here alone is perfect peace,
  And rest from condemnation;
I’ve made exchange of masters now,
  The vows of glory bind me,
And once for all I’ve left the world,
  Yes, left the world behind me.
  Far, far behind me!
  Far, far behind me!
And once for all I’ve left the world,
    Yes, left the world behind me.
4
My choice is made forevermore,
  I want no other Savior;
I ask no purer happiness
  Than His sweet love and favor;
My heart is fixed on Jesus Christ,
  No more the world shall blind me;
I’ve crossed the Red Sea of His death,
  And left the world behind me.
  Far, far behind me!
  Far, far behind me!
I’ve crossed the Red Sea of His death,
  And left the world behind me.
20
Nelson Liu

Irvine, CA, United States

I’ve crossed the separating line, and left the world behind me.


Abiding

Salem, OR, United States

Lord Jesus! transform our soul and conform us to Your image until every word of this hymn becomes our daily experiential reality.


Jeffrey Hall

Sterling, MA, United States

So far reaching into our being to realize our new true position, We have been bought with a price, brothers and sisters, as blood bought children we are being transformed to become many sons, in oness for the Kingdom of God!

Now comes the tough part, NO LOOKING BACK! We'll follow Him..............


One Who Found Grace In The Lord

Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines

Look away to Jesus!


Andrea Carla Haway

Lucena City, Quezon, Philippines

Stanza 2:

I've left the old sad life of sin,

Its follies all forsaken;

["... And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." John 8:11]

My standing place is now in Christ,

His holy vows I've taken;

["Through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast because of the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2]

Beneath the standing of the cross

The world henceforth shall find me;

["But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." Galatians 6:14]

I've passed in Christ from death to life,

And left the world behind me.

["We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4]

["In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:21]


Lui Lee Eliza

Hong Kong

An ancient path we find .... Abraham -Euphrates crosser , his ancestor Noah- flood crosser , his descendants - Red Sea crosser, Jordan crosser.... We are the Hebrews. Our forefather crossed over from the other side, and we let us follow his path .

‘’ Now I am on the sea of glass, and all the negative things are under my feet. The overcomers will be upon the sea of glass just as the children of Israel were upon the seashore having passed through the Red Sea. When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they looked back and saw that Pharaoh and all his forces had been drowned in the sea. We, like the Israelites that crossed the Red Sea and sang the song of Moses (Exo. 15:1), will sing the song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:3). One day we will be upon the sea of glass and look down and see all the worldly things beneath the sea. Although I know that this will happen in the future, I still hope that it is happening now. We all are here on the sea of glass. We are the Hebrews, the water crossers. ״ - Message 1 of the Life Study of Hebrews.


Will

Lawton, OK, United States

Saints of God!

This is your high and upward calling ...

Don’t cheat yourself or rob Him of His due honor and glory.

Become, more and more by His grace ..... that pilgrim that He says that you are. Hold everything that He gives you with an open hand.

Make your holy vow to Him, and never look back.

.


Frank Pytel

Chicago, Illinois, United States

“I've turned my back upon the world. ” We do not set our affections on the world because our back is toward it. The world is far, far behind us – out of sight and reach. Now our face and our heart are turned toward God, who is always before us. No longer does the world attract and capture our heart as it did once before, but we are looking away to Jesus It is precious to walk with God out of this darkened world, like our forerunner – Enoch.


Anonymous

Amen thank you Lord


Sister Tang

北京

Yes! Left the world behind me!

Why is it that God has no dwelling place today on this earth? There are millions of Christians, but very few are rid of the Egyptian element. We need the experience of the writer of Hymns, #438:

I've turned my back upon the world

With all its idle pleasures,

And set my heart on better things,

On higher, holier treasures;

No more its glitter and its glare,

And vanity shall blind me;

I've crossed the separating line,

And left the world behind me.

We have this hymn in our Chinese hymnal too; Brother Nee translated it about fifty years ago. It is a good hymn for teaching us to leave the world. There must be a separating line between the world and God's dwelling place.

Revelation 15:2-5 reveals the fifth aspect of the testimony of Jesus—the overcomers standing on a glassy sea mingled with fire before God's heavenly temple. A number of the saints are on the shore of this sea, singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. This is a picture signifying further spiritual matters concerning the testimony of Jesus. The church as the testimony of Jesus is composed of a group of saints who have been saved through water, just as Noah was saved from his evil generation through the water that flooded the earth (Gen. 6:11-14a) and as the Israelites were saved through the water of the Red Sea not only from God's judgment but also from the evil power of Pharaoh (Exo. 14:22, 29). The final chorus of Hymns, #438 says, "I've crossed the Red Sea of His death, / And left the world behind me." The flood for Noah and the Red Sea for the Israelites were both a baptism (1 Pet. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 10:1-2). Today we, the New Testament believers, are also baptized. The real meaning of baptism is that it is a burial (Rom. 6:4). A certain man may be a millionaire with banks, corporations, and many friends and relatives. It will certainly be hard for such a man to break all these ties, but on the day he is buried, he will finally come out of the world. Nothing separates us from all the worldly ties as thoroughly as burial. Anyone who means business with the Lord must see that he has come out of the world by passing through water. The water of the Red Sea will never allow us to return to Egypt.

Moreover, in front of the tabernacle there was the laver (Exo. 30:17-21). The laver did not wash away sins; it was the altar that did this. However, even after passing through the altar, people still could not come into the presence of the Lord without passing through the laver to wash away the dirt of worldliness. This also signifies baptism. After the Israelites entered into the good land, they built the temple. In front of the temple was a bronze sea with ten bronze lavers (1 Kings 7:23-40a), the fullest type of baptism. The first event that transpired in the New Testament was baptism. John the Baptist called people to repent, and he baptized those who came to him (Mark 1:4; Matt. 3:5-6). This was to terminate people, bury them, and take them out of this world. All the believers must pass through a genuine baptism. In principle, the glassy sea before the throne of God signifies the operation of baptism. Eventually, in Revelation 15 certain of the saved ones are standing on the shore of "baptism," rejoicing and singing just as Israel sang the song of Moses on the shore of the Red Sea.

The children of Israel enjoyed a double salvation. The first aspect of their salvation was the redeeming blood, and the second aspect was the judging water. Hallelujah for the redeeming blood and the judging water! We know what the redeeming blood is, but I doubt that very many know what the judging water is. For us, the judging water is the cross of Christ. The death of the Lord Jesus on the cross is the judging water. A line in Hymn 438 in our hymnal says, "I've crossed the Red Sea of His death." The Lord's death was the judging water. Satan and the world were judged on the cross. When the Lord Jesus was about to go to the cross, He declared, "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). Both Satan and the world were judged on the cross.

Piano Hymns