Jesus Christ, Our Rock

Bursa Malaysia is the stock exchange of Malaysia. But in Turkey, Bursa is a city located in the north western province of Bursa. She has a population of slightly less than 3 million. Although not directly, it is almost surround by sea of water. On the north east is the Black sea, on the north is the Marmara Sea, and on the East is the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The body of waters and the mountains are the factors which create strong wind in Bursa. Throughout the year and peak in December, extremely strong wind will blow through the city. The wind locally named as Lodos is so strong that if you are less than 100 pound, you would be blown off the street when it hits.

Because of this phenomenon, houses and building are built with strong foundations and mostly of brick and stone. A few years ago, when Lodos made one of its many visits, a school collapsed and killed 6 school children. Imagine the horror when they discovered that the school was not built to the standard and that the builder was under the illusion that it is ok and that nothing will happen.

Another incident in Taiwan is that a building had collapsed and the authority found out that the builder had used empty drum and even paper and paper boxes to fill in the gap between bricks.

Story like this is not new and not news to us for we in Malaysia also experienced many instances of collapsed building because of poor foundation and building that was built not according to the standard. The stadium in Terengganu, a mall in Johor and so on.

Our life is also like a building. If we do not have a firm foundation, when Lodos comes our way, we will not be able to withstand the trials and tribulations and we will crumble easily under the pressure.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, 13 “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”. 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But most importantly, Jesus wants to know what do they think. In verse 15, he asked 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

When Jesus, the Son of God asked a question, I think we better pay attention. Who do you say I am?

In Genesis 32, there is a story of Jacob wrestling with God. Now let me just refresh your memory on Jacob. Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Jacob stole his brother’s birth rights and had to flee to stay with his mother’s brother, Laban, his uncle. He then had to work additional years just to married his love, Rachel having being duped into marrying the eldest daughter Leah first. Anyway, From Jacob, we have the 12 tribes of Israel.

Now in Genesis 32, Jacob is returning and prepared to meet his brother Esau and that night, he met God alone face to face and it is here that we read he wrestled with God. I want to bring to your attention on verse 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.

Let’s just pause for a second here. Why did the all knowing God ask the question, what is your name. Of course He knows. God is reminding Jacob that remember who you are, you are the cunning deceiving brother who stole your brother’s birth right. But listen, you will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

So it is with you this morning. Never mind your past. Never mind your struggle. Jesus is wants you to answer the questions he asked his disciple “who do you say I am”. Now listen to the answer given by Peter. Matthew 16: 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And here is Jesus respond to Peter: Yes on this confession about me, on this rock, I will build my church. Jesus is saying that we are sinners, cunning and untrustworthy. But he is also saying that he is the Rock that we can build on.

1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Paul in his letter to Corinth as recorded in 1 Cor 10:4 reaffirmed that the Rock was Christ. The passage that Paul refers to is about the children of Israel wandering through the wilderness, God caused water to flow from a rock. Moses reflected on this miraculous event when they are about to enter into the promised land in Deut 8:15. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

Moses also said in Ex 33:22 that God hid him in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand for protection.

With these background experiences, Moses was the first to use the word Rock when he describe God. He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. Ex 32:4 .

Other speak of God in this figurative way are Hannah and David. Hannah prayed “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. (1 Sam 2:2)

The word Rock is used no less than 20 times in Psalm when the writer describes God. It is almost synonymous with fortress, shield and refuge.

From all these scriptures, we can find a few of God’s attributes related as Rock.

Jesus is our Rock of:
1) supply who quenches our thirst (Exo 17; Deut 8:15, Phil 4:19)
After the children of Israel left Egypt and wandered in the desert, they grumbled to Moses and the Lord for water. The Lord asked Moses to strike the rock and water come out of it. Paul took a Christology interpretation of the story and reminded the Corinthians again that Jesus Christ is the Lord who will quench our thirst when he wrote in 1 Cor 10 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

2) safety who protects us (2 Sam 22:1-7; Psalm 18:1-4; 62;2)
When the Lord delivered David from his enemies and from Saul, he sang praise to the Lord and described Him as the Rock who provide safety for him to take refuge 1 I love you, LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 94:2 also speak of the Lord Rock who provide safe refuge in time of trouble. 22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

3) ages who is eternal (Isa 26:4; Heb 13:8)
We are all familiar of the hymn Rock of ages. Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). He eternally exist and promise to be with us all the time.

4) strength whom we can stand on (Psalm 40:2; 62:2)
Another favorite hymn we always sing is On Christ the solid Rock I stand,, all other ground is sinking sand. Psalm 40 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. And in Psalm 62: 2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
I heard a very interesting interview of Dr James Dobson with Michele Bauchman, the congress woman from Minnesota and the presidential candidate for the Republican party recently. She and her husband, a doctor are devoted Christian who have 5 biological children but raised 23 foster children. She said that she came from a broken family. The parents divorced and her mother who made $4800 raise them all. She found Christ when she was 16. Over the year, through all her difficulties and facing all the challenges, Jesus Christ is the rock that she cling to for support and for strength. She said you can read it all in her just released book, Core Conviction, My Story. You see, Jesus Christ is real. He is our solid strength. I am not saying she is the right or wrong candidate for the President. But her testimony is worth paying attention to.

Rock solid – this is what God’s gift to us, in Jesus Christ. He promised to be with us, secure and stable, providing and supply our needs for all times. In just one week time, we will be celebrating Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. What will be our gift to him?
May I suggest that you offer yourself as a gift to God. Remember that Jesus is only a rock to those who put their trust in Him. But to those who rejected him, He will be a stumbling rock. A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them (1 Pet 2:8) But if you are to reject him. Jesus is a stumbling stone. Peter made it very clear, that when Jesus became a stumbling block, we will fall (1 Peter 2:8)

Conclusion
There is no middle ground. If we believe, Jesus can be our rock upon which we can build and face the Lodos of our lives or he can be our stumbling stone over which we will fall.