"For they drank of that spiritual Rock...and that Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10.4)

     INTRO.:  A familiar hymn which likens Christ to a rock which forms the foundation for our lives is "The Solid Rock" (#378 in "Hymns for Worship Revised).  The text was written by Edward H. Mote (1797-1874). Produced in 1834 while he was working as a cabinet maker, it was read to the dying wife of a minister friend who requested a copy of it.  After being first printed in a leaflet for distribution and then anonymously in the "Spiritual Magazine," it was later published in 1836 in Mote's own "Hymns of Praise."

     The tune was composed by William Batchelder Bradbury (1816-1868). It was produced in 1863 and first appeared the following year in "The Devotional Hymn and Tune Book" which he published at Philadelphia, PA, for the American Baptist Publication Society.  Mote later gave up his cabinet making business, and eventually became minister of the Baptist Church at Horsham in Sussex, where he served for 21 years and built a meeting house at his own expense.

     This hymn talks about various aspects of our home in Christ.

I. According to stanza 1, Christ's blood and righteousness form the foundation for our hope

 A. Hope is very important to the Christian's life: Rom. 8.24-25

 B. Because Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life, which qualified Him to be our sacrifice, and then shed His blood for our sins, our hope is built upon His blood and righteousness: Rom. 5.6-9

 C. Therefore, He is our hope of glory: Col. 1.27

II. According to stanza 2, Christ's unchanging grace is the ground of our hope

 A. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and need God's grace: Rom. 3.23-24

 B. It is the darkness of sin that veils His lovely face: 2 Cor. 4.3-4

 C. Thus, the only hope that we can have for salvation is grounded on the grace of God as manifested in Christ: Eph. 2.8-9

III. According to stanza 3, Christ's oath and covenant are the surety of our hope

 A. The oath evidently refers to that by which God confirmed His promise of our hope, which then serves as an anchor to support us in the whelming flood: Heb. 6.17-20

 B. We all face those times when it seems as if all around our souls gives way: Job 14.1

 C. But if we put our trust in Christ, He has promised that He will be our hope and stay: Heb. 13.5-6

IV. According to stanza 4, Christ's return is the goal of our hope

 A. Someday, He shall come with trumpet sound: 1 Cor. 15.22-24

 B. At that time, it should be our desire to be found in Him: Phil. 3.9-11

 C. Some have objected to this song, believing that it teaches that the personal righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer, a commonly-held Calvinistic doctrine not found in the scriptures.  However, being "dressed in His righteousness alone" could easily be understood to refer to the righteousness which He Himself accounts to us when we by faith obey His word and are cleansed from our sins, in contrast to being saved by our own works of righteousness: Rom. 4.3, Tit. 3.5

     CONCL.:  The chorus points to Christ as the Rock foundation for our hope.  Yes, we must obey Him to be saved, but our obedience is not the ground of our salvation, it is only the condition upon which we receive it.  The ground of our salvation is the grace of God demonstrated in the death of Christ.  Thus, everything about our hope should remind us that it is built on Christ, "The Solid Rock."