We are starting a new series in April called: The Gospel in Hymns. If you are in Sojo Academy, we are doing a full study of 20 different hymns, taking a journey through history to learn about the hymn writers, the circumstances surrounding the songs, and then digging into the passages in Word of God that inspired them.

On the podcast this month, we will focus on one hymn a week and explore the Biblical truths expressed in them!

As we look to the Word of God through the lens of these songs, we will see nuggets of encouragement and powerful lessons. 

Come take this journey with us!

In this first episode, we are looking at a well-known hymn called Rock of Ages, written by Augustus M. Toplady in 1776.

In the Old Testament, God is the rock (1 Corinthians 10: 1-4), but then in the New Testament, it refers back to the story of Moses in the Old Testament and identifies the rock as Christ!

That’s such a cool connection showing that Jesus is the point of the WHOLE Bible, from Genesis to Revelation… and it’s a beautiful image of where our strength comes from.

“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.”

The cross is sufficient. When Jesus died on that cross, he said it was finished. Period. The end. And we see that in Titus 3:4-7, when Paul reminds Titus (and us) that Christ saved us, not because of works done by us in our own pitiful righteousness, but according to his own mercy.

Merit-based thinking has no place in our relationship with God. His grace is not based on anything that we do or don't do. His grace is not based on our performance. (Can I get an AMEN for that?)

We bring nothing in our hands.  And he is all we need.

"While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyes shall close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown,
And behold Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee."

We are promised that Christ will be with us until the end, and the grace that gave us life will never end. 

What's sufficient for us in life is sufficient for us in death. And that's pretty awesome!

Because of that, we are sheltered in the cleft of the rock, now and forevermore.

Challenge!

Our challenge to you as a listener is to take one of these Hymns and find Scripture that correlates to what these hymn writers were writing. What a lovely way to get the Word into our hearts. 

If you want to take a look at the Rock of Ages written by August Toplady, you can check it here: Rock of Ages

Extra tip!

Sometimes we can wonder, how do we see Christ in the Old Testament? Because a lot of times, it's not super clear, but when we see passages in the New Testament, like the ones we mentioned today, that refer to the Old Testament as a picture of Christ, then it makes it more real. 

We do ourselves a favor when we take the entirety of scripture into consideration, not just the old Testament, not just the new Testament.  

But looking at them together, we can start making a lot of connections that otherwise we don't see the first time we read through a passage.