My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In ev'ry high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found,
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand
BIBLE REFERENCE:
There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2
The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3
Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Psalm 28:1
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Psalm 1:2-3
He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Psalm 89:26
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:4
But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:46-49
Edward Mote - Lyrics
1797-1874
Born: January 21, 1797, London, England.
Died: November 13, 1874, Horsham, Sussex, England.
Buried: Horsham, Sussex, England.
William Batchelder Bradbury - Composer
1816-1868
Born: October 6, 1816, York, Maine.
Died: January 7, 1868, Montclair, New Jersey.
Buried: Bloomfield Cemetery, Bloomfield, New Jersey.
HYMN HISTORY:
"The Solid Rock," to give the hymn its proper title, was written in 1834 and first appeared, anonymously, in leaflets and newspapers. Very quickly, considerable debate arose as to the identity of the author, and so the man responsible, Mr. Edward Mote, decided to acknowledge his workmanship.
Explaining how the idea for the hymn came - on his way to work - Mote said,
'I began to meditate on the gracious experience of the Christian, soon the chorus, and then the words of the first verse, came to mind.'
The following Sunday, coming out of morning worship, he was invited to a friend's home to encourage his wife who was critically ill. He went to the home in the early evening, and after spending some time comforting the dying woman was asked to join in family worship.
It was the custom in the house to sing a hymn, read the scripture, and then pray. As the man of the house searched in vain for a hymn book, Edward Mote said, 'I have some verses in my pocket. If you like we can sing them,' and they did.
The new words struck a responsive chord in the heart of the sick woman and, as a consequence, her husband requested a copy for her.
'Back at home,' continues the author,
'I sat by the fireside, musing on the sick lady's reaction to the words I had written; and soon the entire hymn was clear in my mind.'
This new, enlarged version was committed to paper and a copy made for the dying friend. Later, he decided that, since the hymn had been such a blessing and comfort to this woman in her last hours, maybe it would be of help to others as well.
His parents were of no help to him either. They kept a public house and sent their son to a school where the Bible was neither taught nor permitted. On Sundays, instead of attending church, he and his friends spent their time playing in the streets. Such was his irreligious, unsheltered upbringing.
However, for some reason which is not known, Edward began attending church when he became apprenticed to a cabinet maker. During this time he went to hear the famous preacher, Rev. John Hyatt at Tottenham Court Road Chapel. Mote records that the sermon made him 'think on his way', and two years later he came into the experience of salvation.
Eventually, he felt called to preach the gospel which he now so passionately believed; and was instrumental in the building of at least one church. It is evident that he exercised a faithful ministry there for, when he died, the congregation erected a plaque which included in the inscription these words:
For 26 years the beloved pastor of this church, preaching Christ and Him crucified, as all the sinner can need, and all the saint can desire.
Assurance and security were Edward Mote's constant companions throughout his long life. Even when his health began to fail and he was approaching death he felt a renewed confidence in the merit of the blood of Christ.
Just before he died, in 1874, he said,
'I think I am nearing Port. But the truths I have preached I am living upon, and they will do to die upon, Ah! the precious blood! The precious blood which takes away all my sins; it is this which makes peace with God.'
And thus Edward Mote, preacher and hymn-writer said farewell to this earth ...
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:24-27
This parable teaches that whosoever comes to Christ and hears his sayings and does them, is like a man who builds a house and digs deep to lay the foundation on a rock.
Christ has laid for us a foundation, and anything besides Christ is sand. 1 Corinthian 3:11
The foolish man built his house upon the sand. Many build their lives on worldly prosperity; others only trust upon an outward profession of faith, but all will fall if it is not built on Jesus Christ. Matthew 7:27
There is a storm coming that will try every man's work. 1 Corinthian 3:13, Luke 12:20, Hebrew 9:27
The house fell in the storm, when the builder had most need of it, and expected it would be a shelter to him. It fell when it was too late to build another. Matthew 7:22-23
May the Lord make us wise builders for eternity. Then we can say along with the apostle Paul
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
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