GOSPEL >> REPENTANCE
SDAH 292
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: Jesus, I Come
Written in 1887, “Jesus, I Come” is a deeply personal invitation hymn, born out of evangelist Stebbins’s longing for a young man to surrender to Christ. He asked William T. Sleeper to write the text, which was set to music by Stebbins himself. Sleeper was a faithful Congregational minister who pioneered churches in Massachusetts and Maine. The gentle, pleading tone of the music underscores the theme of leaving behind bondage, sorrow, and restlessness for the freedom and joy found in Christ. This hymn invites each of us to find deliverance in Jesus, who graciously receives all who come to Him.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
Why do people come to Jesus? This song enumerates common reasons why people come to Jesus. What is your personal reason for coming to Him? (Lesson 13, 1st Quarter 2021 -Monday, Divine Magnet, 3/22/2021)
We may have wondered away from Jesus and now His voice is calling. This hymn encourages us to repent and go back to our Savior. “Out of my shameful fail and loss, Jesus I come to Thee. Out of unrest and arrogant pride, Jesus I come to Thee.” (Lesson 5, 1st Quarter 2021 -Tuesday, The Rod of God’s Anger, 1/26/2021)
God has made it clear that every sin we confess will be forgiven. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.” Jesus said: “Whoever comes to Me, I will never cast out.” – John 6:37. When we come to Jesus, He is always ready to receive us and to forgive us the sins that we confess before Him. (Lesson 13, 2nd Quarter 2021 -Monday, Guilt Free, 6/21/2021)
In 1877, Stebbins (1846-1945; see Biographies) was assisting evangelist Pentecost in a campaign in Worcester, Massachusetts. One night the sermon was on John 3:7, “Ye must be born again,” and Stebbins was impressed with the idea that the words would make a good song. He asked the local pastor, W. T. Sleeper, to write the poem, and he set it to music. This collaboration on the creation of a gospel song was the start of a long friendship between the two men. When Sleeper wrote the words for “Jesus, I Come,” he sent them to Stebbins, who wrote this music. It was first printed in Gospel Hymns No. 5, 1887, under the Scripture text, “Deliver me, O my God” (Ps. 71:4).
William True Sleeper was born February 9, 1819, at Danbury, New Hampshire, and received his education at the University of Vermont and Andover Theological Seminary. After ordination to the Congregational ministry, he did pioneer mission work in Worcester, Massachusetts, and raised up three new churches in Maine. In 1876 he went back to Worcester and for 30 years pastored the first church that he had begun as a mission. In 1883 he published a book of poems, The Rejected King, and Hymns of Jesus. He died September 24, 1904, at Wellesley, Massachusetts.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Stanza:
1 – Matthew 9:28
4 – Revelation 22:4
Text
1
Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
2
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
3
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
4
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Hymn Info
Biblical Information
(a) Matt 9:28 (d) Rev 22:4
Author
W.T. Sleeper (1819-1904)
Year Published
1887
Metrical Number
Irregular
Composer
George C. Stebbins (1846-1945)
Tune Source
1887
