What Solid Rock?

What Solid Rock?

4/19/16

Most of us understand that the composition of a rock is pretty much a solid; however, those same rocks may not always be uniform in shape and can present hazards when trying to stand upon.  The surfaces of rocks vary just as much as their shapes do which adds to the difficulty that humans have in accomplishing the overcoming of such rocks.  Jesus said He was the rock of our salvation and the firm foundation that we can stand upon at all times, especially when times of trouble surround us.  But what if we cannot recognize Him as this rock and choose to stand elsewhere?  What happens to our lives then when the enemy approaches and we find ourselves still searching? This should not be the case unless we have placed our hearts on a worldly Jesus and then do not understand what solid rock to stand upon.  There are many rocks and surfaces that seem sturdy enough for our acknowledgment, but there is only one true Rock that shall protect us in any storm we face.

Ever have a rock thrown at you?  How about as a car or truck passes you on the interstate and throws a rock at your windshield? All of us have had opportunities to throw rocks at someone else or to have ourselves as the target for such an opportunity.  The composition of rocks varies greatly but one thing they all have in common is that when they hit our bodies, those things hurt tremendously.  Most of the time throwing rocks at each other stems from a heated argument in which one side is trying to gain an advantage by assaulting the other side.  They are used as an effective weapon to distract or to hinder enemies for the moment and in some cases rocks are the sole defensive mechanism that can be utilized in emergency situations.

When we turn on the evening news and the newscaster switches to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, it does not take too long for our eyes to meet a scene of people throwing rocks at a target some distance away.  In war movies, a large rock is always a good barrier to hide behind for temporary protection from incoming ammunitions.  There are countless stories that describe rocks as being the main weapon in breaking down walls of a fortified city or palace.  In the medieval times, a frightful weapon that mankind developed was called the catapult.  It was a simple contraption that after considerable planning was set at a specific distance from the target, contained a measured and weighted boulder, then hurled through the air at the intended target and then hit the target with a great force.  The resulting collision tore walls completely down in a matter of a short time and provided the attacking forces a direct access to the interior of the city or palace.  This is only one type of usage for rocks for they have many other usages for both weaponry and defensive positions, with both providing solid foundations for the purposes at hand.

It is not difficult to understand that the composition of rocks would have some type of destructive force on the target hit, for most objects are softer than the rock or it would not be used as a weapon.  Think about it, a rock would not be able to be effective against an iron wall, nor would it be of any value if it was hurled towards a 10,000-foot high mountain.  However, if it was thrown with a great deal of velocity towards a human body, or a wooden wall when it struck such a target it would cause severe damage and soon render the target useless for any further purpose.  That is one reason why stoning of people was an effective and frightful way of punishing those who did wrong in ancient times; capital punishment at its finest.

We have a few examples of stones being used in the Bible for both offensive and defensive situations.  Most of the walls of cities and villages were made of stone for it was strong enough to withstand a certain amount of damage and still provide a fortifiable place for shelter.  David used stones to slay Goliath in an epic setting of God’s Kingdom versus Satan’s in the Old Testament.  And another example is that we see when Stephen was stoned to death for his beliefs and testament to those who needed Christ.  All of these examples and the others that we can use throughout biblical and secular history we can gather are significant usages of rocks for a number of reasons, so wouldn’t one think that the rock would be the perfect illustration that Jesus used to describe Himself and what it means to stand on Him for protection against our enemy?

It has been a traditional “pastime” for Christians to use the Word of God in their defensive stances against those who have questions or arguments about God’s authority over our existence.  While this is a great practice and one that needs to define our foundation against the wiles of our enemy we must ask ourselves if we really understand what it means to stand on the true rock of salvation that Jesus stated when He was walking this earth.  For if we do not believe that everything that occurred in the Old Testament directly points to Jesus’ conception, birth, life, death, and resurrection then our belief in the one and only True God is only a theory in our existence.  This truth can be easily demonstrated on how a person looks at the Old Testament and how they value its truth and meanings, for if they do not believe that it contains the ways and means of God then they cannot understand the truth about Jesus and His existence.  In other words, just reading the Bible and using it in this fashion will only provide a passing shade of color to impress those who are walking on the same street as you; slippery when wet.

It is this point that God wants us to understand about the claim that Jesus made concerning being the Rock of Salvation.  In all areas of our lives, we must demonstrate the separation from the world even though we must walk on its surface each and every day.  We must witness its harshness and cruelties that it loves to display on a second by second basis and be the light that shines brightly for those who are looking for a foundation to stand upon when all of these things become presented against their worlds. In order for us to completely accomplish this mission, we must fully comprehend what Jesus meant when He said He was the rock that can withstand all of these forces.

If we do not understand this solid foundation then it will be like using a scripture verse as a defensive argument but not knowing what that particular verse or passage truly means.  The enemy will quickly know if you understand the passage that you are using or not and once that knowledge is revealed, your fate is up for grabs if one does not know; on the other hand, if a person does understand the meaning of that passage or verse then our enemy cannot withstand the truth that comes from these words and thus have to flee because our enemy cannot penetrate the truth of the Word of God.  It is this truth and knowledge that Jesus made the statement that He is the rock of which one should stand in order to defeat the enemy.

One cannot obtain this knowledge about God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit unless they thoroughly and continuously study God’s Word.  Simply reading and skimming over the contents will not allow for a proper knowledge of God when the enemy strikes. Nor will be able to understand the events in the world around us when they occur; this is a spectacular example of why people are so “shocked” when terrorists and other events transpire because they do not fully understand God and what His Son means to our lives.  This also explains why no answers can be truly given as to why these types of disasters occur for the explanations that are given are shallow and in the end empty and only result in further distrust and frustration on all levels.

Many of you know that I grew up in the South and more specifically in the state of Texas.  That meant that I played sports and even though I was short I was expected to give it my 100% at all times, in order not to be killed by the bigger boys around me. This meant that I needed to do things bigger, faster and harder than what my body could muster, yet somehow I forced myself to complete this task.  As time when along and I began visiting doctors, all of them told me that I was not cut out to play those sports on a competitive level and that if I continued to do so my body would not be happy with me when I became an adult.  I ignored that advice and warning and continued to choose to abuse my body in this manner, and today just as they had warned me many times in my past my body reminds me of my vain efforts when I was younger.

It is this type of example that we find when we study the habits and lives of the people in the Old Testament Scriptures.  It is through their activities that God had to say hold on a bit here, you are not doing things according to My laws, and if you do not change your ways some pretty nasty things will come your way.  Of course, that is a general paraphrase but the idea and truths are concurrent with what God had to demonstrate all throughout the Old Testament.  Humans did not stop there and they continued to display ridiculous habits and ways in the New Testament as well, in which God once again had to display certain portions of His existence that do not favor mankind very well.  NO, God did not force any of these people, nations, or kingdoms to serve Him all of the consequences of these peoples were of their own accord.  They had no clue about God, His ways, Jesus, or His ways or what they both meant to the peoples’ lives.

This is where the Church comes into the picture and how our deliberate ignorance to Jesus and what He means to our existence today.  If we do not have a thorough foundation of the ways and means of God in the Old Testament, NOT the ways and means of the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, there is no way possible that we can understand what the true meaning of Jesus when He said He is the Rock of Salvation.  We may think we know but it is a guarantee that when things go “south” and turmoil rules our lives we will not have a clue of what to do or who to turn to.  Want proof?  Read the newspaper, watch the news, look outside your own personal windows and it will become crystal clear that this so-called “Christian” nation does not have a clue of how to properly and spiritually defend itself according to the biblical principles it is supposed to be built upon.  We are forcing God out of our lives instead of standing on His Word for our protection.

Take a few moments, it will not take long, and listen to all of the different humanoid answers that people are giving as possible solutions to the issues that we are dealing with today.  While the technological statuses of people are different today from that of ancient times, the social issues and controversial ideologies that humans lay as paths then are the exact same paths that we are walking today.  God never installs disorder or provides complicated answers to His people.  It is through the choices that we make that bring this type of disastrous living conditions into our being.  Just as God provided sound advice to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden He has done the exact same with the contents of His entire Word.  Clearly, the societies of today are crying out for help yet ignoring the One source that can provide them with peace, prosperity and true wisdom to overcome every circumstance that our enemy presents.

How can we believe that we fully and to the best of our ability understand what Jesus meant when He said that He was the rock of our salvation if we do not willingly, lovingly, and faithfully study every detail of God’s Word as the divine truth?  If Adam and Eve could be fooled while living in a perfect paradise, what makes us any better than them?  It has reached the point that we are once again throwing rocks at each other instead of standing on the rock and recognizing that it is our eternal enemy who is originating all of the chaos around us.  We are clearly demonstrating that we do NOT understand the meaning by which Jesus made concerning Him being the rock of salvation; while the most important portion of this meaning by far is the eternal aspects in which He was referring but His words also have a physical meaning as well and it has been proven over and over that if we do not understand what the horizontal issues are there is no way that we can understand the vertical answers that have been provided.

It is also clear that the Church has been fooled into believing that the world has the answers that she is proposing as sanctuary to all of the issues that bombard us each day.  Through the eyes that are watching it is evident that she is deaf and blind to Whom the rock of our salvation is also.  The rock of salvation that Jesus taught about was not meant to be a huge and almost impossible climb up to reach safety, but a solid place and easily accessible place to stand upon when the world lashes out against us.  When the Church does not fully recognize this concept it means that we have slipped into a dangerous place, one that is ripe with violence and due death.  Obviously, the Church does not even recognize what this true rock of salvation is nor can they even locate it because they have lost their spiritual vision of Christ and everything that He means to our lives.  The Church and God’s people do not wish to listen to the answers that God has provided for they interpret their own ways and means in what God says through His Word.

We have lost the principle that when we are standing on the rock of salvation (Jesus) the stones and rocks that the enemy throws at us cannot truly harm us in any way.  The methods of Satan’s kingdom come in a manner in which to harm our lives and he does this by throwing rocks towards our spiritual bodies and as long as we know where the rock of salvation is located and we climb on its surface, Satan and all of his warriors can throw as many rocks our way that he wishes and his kingdom methods shall fall to the side 100% of the time.  As long as we understand what the Kingdom of God is and how our actions represent God’s Kingdom, then we are standing on the rock of salvation and know what its true meaning represents. 

We have fallen into the same type of setting as Adam and Eve in which they had forgotten that their stance and presence was created by God in through their placement in the Garden of Eden represented the divine protection that they needed to survive intact.  For us, we have done the same since we have taken it upon ourselves to find the answers according to human randomness and logic.  As Adam and Eve became disillusioned with the ways of God, so have we and have furthered our digression away from the true rock of salvation.  In both examples, we have lost the truth at when standing under god’s protection (the Garden of Eden and now Jesus’ blood) we are automatically advancing the Kingdom of God and not Satan’s.

It is dangerous for us to assume that we know everything about God’s Word, for when we have this belief our enemy shall find a way to hit us with a rock that penetrates our defenses.  In no way imaginable can we truly defend ourselves without a constant and wholeheartedly life study of God’s Word.  It is a constant and continual study and not one that should ever fade from our daily lives.  When we study God’s Word and apply every single letter to our lives there will be no problem in understanding the protection and truth behind the real Rock of Salvation nor will there be any problem knowing who our enemy is either.  When we understand the true concept of Jesus and what His rock status is, we shall not have to worry about any other type of foundation, for we can count on the perfect one to shield us as we take the fight to our enemy and we shall never have to ask this question: What solid rock?

DLB