Acts
4:11-12 -
Sunday’s Hymn of the Day is My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, (LSB
#575). The defense of the faith from the first Century to this 21st Century is
the fact that Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. What the
prophets of old foretold all find their completion in Jesus Christ. Therefore
there is salvation in no one else. Jesus is not one of several options. There
is no other name given among men by which we can be saved.
Edward Mote was born and raised in the London area of
England and lived from 1797-1874. Unlike most hymn writers, he was not brought
up in a godly home nor was exposed to Scripture. His parents operated a pub in
London and often neglected young Edward, who spent most of his Sundays playing
in the city streets. He once reflected on his "theological"
upbringing stating, "So ignorant was I that I did not know that there was
a god."
When Edward was 15 years old, his parents apprenticed
him to become a cabinetmaker. He honed his craft, and as a man, became a
skilled cabinetmaker and had a successful business for 37 years. His faith
journey, however, is a testimony that should inspire all Christians.
Through the influence of his cabinetmaker master, Mote
attended church and came to faith through the preaching of John Hyatt (a gifted
evangelical preacher who was often compared to George Whitefield, a driving
influence in the Great Awakening), and was baptized at age 18. Thereafter, he
devoted his free time to ministry. Mote always found time to worship and became
particularly interested in Christian music and hymn writing. He was prolific in
his writing and wrote more than 100 hymns. One, in particular (shown above),
became one of the most beloved hymns in the church today. In 1834, while on his
walk to work one day, an idea came to him to write a hymn on the "Gracious
experiences of a Christian." By the time he arrived to his shop, he had
finished the refrain, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood
and righteousness." Before the day had finished, he had completed four
verses. The following Sunday he visited a friend whose wife was very ill. The
friend described how he and his wife liked to observe the Sabbath by singing a
hymn, reading a scripture, and having prayer together. Mote pulled a copy of
his hymn from his pocket, and they sang it. The friend's wife was so taken with
the words that she requested a copy for herself. In 1836, he published his
hymns with selections by others in a collection called Hymns of Praise, A New
Selection of Gospel Hymns. The present day tune for the hymn was composed by
the American gospel song composer, William Bradbury, a fellow Baptist, in 1863.
The hymn appeared during the American Civil War in Bradbury's Devotional Hymn
and Tune Book (1864).
The text of this hymn is packed with grace and truth,
revealing a deep reflection on his salvation and the price Jesus paid on Mote's
behalf. The refrain, My hope is built on nothing less, refers to the Parable of
the Wise and Foolish Builders (Matt. 7:24-27) and was constructed around the
metaphor of Christ as a rock. The first stanza declares God's grace. Mote
recognizes that our hope for eternal life depends completely upon Jesus'
righteousness. We have nothing of human merit to offer. Stanzas 2 and 3 concern
the application of that grace in times of trouble - when the doubts, cares, and
darkness of the world weaken our fellowship with God and veil His face from us.
Despite such doubts, God has not left us; He sustains us. It is precisely at
such times we need to "rest on His unchanging grace." The final
stanza brings the hymn full circle with the ultimate realization of God's
grace, when we stand before God's throne clothed in the righteousness of
Christ! When we seize such objective truth on which to build a life and future
hope, "all other ground is sinking sand."
In 1852, at the age of 55, Mote realized a life-long
dream. He laid down his cabinetry tools and responded to a call to formal
ministry. He ministered as the pastor of Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham,
West Sussex. For the next 21 years, he did not miss a Sunday in the pulpit. He
resigned from his pastorate in 1873 due to poor health and died the following
year at the age of 77. The beloved pastor was buried in the churchyard. Just
prior to his death he said, "The truths I have been preaching, I am now
living upon, and they do very well to die upon." Near the pulpit in the
church is a tablet with the inscription, "In loving memory of Mr. Edward
Mote, who fell asleep in Jesus November 13th 1874, aged 77 years. For 21 years
the beloved pastor of this church, preaching Christ and Him crucified, as all
the sinner can need, and all the saint desire."[2]
[1] The image of Christ the Good Shepherd by Wm Dyce is found here: http://www.biblicalart.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=789&pagenum1
[2] https://thetimes24-7.com/Content/Columnists/Columnists/Article/My-hope-is-built-on-nothing-less/13/163/56186
[3] Collect for Saturday of the week of Pentecost 13, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. II © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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