“How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!”
Published 1787 by John Rippon
Attributed to “K” (whose name remains a mystery)
The complete hymn, How Firm a Foundation, was sung at President Andrew Jackson’s death bed and at President Theodore Roosevelt’s funeral.
Wouldn’t it make a great theme song for your life?
Ever noticed how quickly some folks change their values to line up with the shifting sands of popular culture? They remind me of this Bible passage:
Matthew 7:26-27 (VOICE)
You are like a fool who builds a house on sand. When a storm comes to his house, what will happen? The rain will fall, the waters will rise, the wind will blow, and his house will collapse with a great crash.
Not to say you never find a faulty stone in your otherwise good foundation, thoughtfully remove it and replace it with a better stone. 
“Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to his name!”
E. A. Hoffman, 1875
Because of the cross,
we are cleansed from sin.
1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.
Because of the cross, can be dead to sin.
Psalm 51:1 (NIV)
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love.
Got mercy? Looking for love?
“Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and Mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.”
Frances J. Crosby, 1869
Stand by the cross.
The cross — a place of both sorrow
and happiness.
“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!”
Ralph E. Hudson, 1885
Funny how God turns sorrow into joy. 
Famous hymn-writer Isaac Watts wrote the verses to the hymn Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed (1707). Ralph Hudson added the refrain and melody. Before he became a composer and teacher, Hudson was an army nurse during the Civil War.
Without God, I’ve got nothing to brag about.
Galatians 6:14 (ERV)
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
is my only reason for boasting.
More Christ, less me.
“Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God . . .
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Isaac Watts, 1707
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
We finished Holy Week, with it’s focus on the cross of Christ. What will you do with the cross, today and all the days till next Easter?
The best answer comes from an old hymn. We sang it at this year’s Easter service:
“So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down.”
George Bennard, 1913
“The Old Rugged Cross”
Cherish the cross? Every day till I die–what a plan! I may fall short, but that’s the goal.
1 Peter 2:2-3 (ESV)
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Lord is good. Indeed.
It’s Good Friday. Look to Jesus–on the cross and on the throne.
Hebrews 2:9 (JUB)
But we see this same Jesus, crowned with glory and honour, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Jesus tasted death so we can taste eternal life.
Thank You, Lord Jesus! I owe You more than words can say.
Today we remember Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.
Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV)
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Today, we taste forgiveness.
