During my time in Germany while serving in the US Air Force, I was told “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a while and it’ll change.” Though not scientific, this saying seemed to be very accurate when describing the varying weather patterns in western Europe. It also is a good description of the lives that we live here on planet Earth, particularly in these last days. Just when you’re cruising along and all seems good, BAM! ..... Things change. In this world we live in, kingdoms rise and fall, fashions come and go and as we talked about earlier, even the weather is up and down. People equivocate, attitudes fluctuate, finances vacillate and conditions undulate. The truth is that the world around us is in a constant state of change. But listen to this. How wonderful it is that we are servants of the living God who says “For I am the LORD, I change not…” (Malachi 3: 6) He is “…the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1: 17) He is the Creator of the universe and is "...the same yesterday, and today and forever." (Hebrews 13: 8) Ever dependable, ever reliable, He is the One who the prophet Jeremiah wrote about saying “Great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3: 23) But this is the eternal question. What, or better still Who, are you standing and depending on? “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand ……. all other ground is sinking sand.” These comforting lyrics from a spiritual classic written in 1834 by a Baptist pastor in West Sussex, England, are a powerful proclamation of determination and a wise understanding of the stark contrast between what is solid and what is not. It simply states that anything which is not Christ is shifty, unreliable and dangerous. The symbolic use of the potent and effectual characteristics of a rock is a brilliant and beautiful metaphor illustrating the strength, stability and stamina of our Lord …….. all-powerful, never changing, everlasting! During the latter part of His sermon on the mount, Jesus highlights the difference between a wise and unwise person. He states, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7: 24-27) In other words a wise person will build their house on a rock because it will endure any atmospheric assault and ensure that the safety of the house is preserved. Conversely, the person who builds their house on something else, anything else, is foolish because anything other than the rock is no better than unstable sand and the eventual destruction of the house is guaranteed. Obviously Christ is using this temporal parable to demonstrate a marvelous spiritual truth. Namely, there is only one spiritual Rock and there is no other, no matter how solid it may look. We see this in the following story. “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16: 13-18) When Jesus asks Peter who does he think He is, Peter correctly acknowledges that Jesus is the one and only Son of the living God. Jesus then basically tells Peter you are blessed because God Himself has given you the revelation about who I am and has designated Me as the foundation for entering and flourishing in His kingdom. And there is no other way or any other person you can go through to get there. "...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14: 6) And guess what else? It can't be taken away. “…nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 39) He was telling Peter, “I am the door, the light, the true vine, the Word, the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the heavenly manna, the helmet of salvation, the gospel of peace, the Lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. I am that Rock." Jesus also states in this passage “…thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Peter knew who Jesus was because God told him. And Jesus also knew who Peter was. In fact, in addition to creating Peter, He even gave him his name. “And Simon He surnamed Peter” (Mark 3: 16) Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He named him that. The Greek word for Peter is “Petros” and means “little rock or individual stone.” Referring back to the unstable nature of sand in Matthew 7, we know that sand is a bunch of little rocks, thus their inherent instability. Did Peter (little rock) ever demonstrate any instability? I think we all know the answer to that. (See Matthew 26: 33, 40 & 69-75 and Galatians 2: 11-14)
Jesus was also agreeing that Peter was correct about who was really that steady, reliable Rock where He would build His church. And the power (or virtue) coming from this Rock came straight from heaven. The Greek word for “rock” used in this same passage is “Petra” meaning “bedrock, large rock, solid foundation.” So who do you think fits that description? Certainly not Peter, nor any other person or thing that has been created. And since Jesus was with God from the beginning, and Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, and God created all things, and nothing was created by anyone or anything else but God, I think this uniquely qualifies and certifies Christ as that rock on whom God would build His church.
1 Corinthians 10: 1-4 very plainly tells us who the Rock is: “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
Deuteronomy 32: 3, 4 ,15, 18, 30, 31 & 37-39 talks extensively about the Rock (The Big R) and makes comparison to other “rocks” (little r’s): “Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me…”
Pretty spectacular, huh? In Isaiah 26: 16 God speaks again of the Rock when He says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” (See also 1 Peter 2: 1-12) God almighty has provided something incredible for His children. Something upon which we can always depend. Something that will never dull, or lose it’s value. Something that doesn’t change, never weakens and will always be there. That something is not a some thing, but a some One. And that someone is His Son, Jesus Christ, the savior of the world and the lover of our souls! And just as the woman at the well (John 4) who was inquiring about the location and method of obtaining the “living water” Jesus was offering her, someone may not understand where to find the Rock we speak of or how to access it. Plain and simple; a broken and contrite spirit, a humble submission, a genuine sincerity and a godly repentance is the way. “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2: 38)
So now, what I’m about to say you really have to pay attention. Ephesians 2: 4-6 proclaims, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Did you get that? God is telling us that He loves us so much that He has resurrected us from the dead and brought us back to life and will set us in a divine place, not only “with” His Son, but “in” His Son. This is also God making good on His promise through Jesus in John 14: 16-17, "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth "with" you, and shall be "in" you."
So where is this divine place God is talking about and how will it be done? This divine place is in heaven where God is with His Son right now sitting next to Him on His right hand making intercession for us all. (Matthew 22: 44, Mark 16: 19, Colossians 3: 1, Hebrews 1: 3; 8: 1; 10: 12; 12: 2, 1 Peter 3: 22). And how it will be done is by the power of God’s grace placing you “on” and “in” the protective confines of the foundation He has laid. This is magnificently illustrated by an encounter Moses had with God in Exodus 33: 7-23 (pay particular attention to verses 21 & 22).
[7] And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
[8] And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.
[9] And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.
[10] And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.
[11] And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
[12] And Moses said unto the LORD, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and Thou hast also found grace in my sight.
[13] Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, shew me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight: and consider that this nation is Thy people.
[14] And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
[15] And he said unto Him, If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
[16] For wherein shall it be known here that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? is it not in that Thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
[17] And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.
[18] And he said, I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory.
[19] And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
[20] And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.
[21] And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
[22] And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by:
[23] And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen.
Oh my, my, my! To know that God loves us unconditionally, and we are saved by His grace, and He has prepared a place next to Him where He has set us "with" His Son, and He will place us "in" His Son and His Son "in" us, and He will give us glimpses of His glory while we are on our journey to the promised land, is almost too much to take!
So we, the children of God, should rejoice with unspeakable joy and glorify His holy name for the marvelous things He has done and will do. He opens doors no one can shut and shuts doors no one can open. We are the sheep of His pasture and we know His voice and follow Him assured that his grace is sufficient and his mercy is everlasting.
As 2 Timothy 2: 19 says, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” And if we endeavor to do this then we shall always be “…stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…” (1 Corinthians 15: 58)
To God be the glory! The Rock of our salvation!
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