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.
Dear HLPC family,
As I was walking to the church this morning- as I often do living only one mile from the church property- the stanza written above from “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” came to mind. Hymns of our faith are great ways to make theology practical and heart stirring. As we have noted over and over and over, 2020 is a tumultuous year. I won’t recount the reasons (pun intended given the uncertain results at this time from the Presidential election).
Edward Mote, the author of this stirring hymn, says there are three foundation stones of his confidence in troubled times: The oath, the covenant, and the blood of Jesus Christ. In our recent look into Hebrews, we’ve seen all three referenced. The oath by which Jesus is a priest forever, the unbreakable covenant promises whereby we are bound to God as His people, and Jesus’s own blood by which are sins are forgiven–have surfaced in Hebrews 7 & 8.
Does it feel as if your soul is giving way? Does it feel as if the world is a roller coaster and you want to get off? Remember Jesus. Remember His intercession, His unbreakable promises, and the reality of your redemption. All three are found in his oath, his covenant, and his blood. That’s the only basis for hope- all other reasons for hope are sinking sand and guaranteed to disappoint.
I hope to see you tonight either here at the church or online as we take a look into the “Ordo Saludis” which is Latin for “the order of salvation.” It is part of our study into soteriology- the doctrine of salvation that we will star tonight.
Your Pastor,
Paul