On This Rock I Stand

ON THIS ROCK I STAND

II Timothy 1:12 “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.”

INTRO.- ILL.- Two politicians decided to have a friendly wager on the subject of religion. One of them bet the other that he couldn’t repeat the Lord’s prayer. He said, “I’ll take that bet.” The first politician said, “Ok, let me hear you quote it.”

He said, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep....”

The other politician interrupted and said, “Well, if that don’t beat all. I DIDN’T THINK YOU COULD DO IT.”

What can we say? Ignorance abounds in our world.

ILL.- One time a NEWSWEEK article was entitled “No Allusions in the Classroom.” The article told about 26 people in the college classroom, ranging in age from 18 to 54. All of these people had completed at least one-quarter of their college work. They were given 86 questions to answer, which centered around simple facts about the world.

Here is what some of those people said in answer to those questions.

- Ralph Nader was a baseball player.

- Christ was born in the 16th century.

- J. Edgar Hoover was a 19th century president.

- Sid Caesar was an early Roman emperor.

- Dwight D. Eisenhower was a president in the 17th century.

If you think this is bad, listen to this.

ILL.- A group of high school juniors and seniors in one of our better schools in the nation who were

headed for college were given a quiz on the Bible. Here are the results of that quiz.

- Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers.

- The N.T. was written by Matthew, Mark, Luther, and John.

- Eve was created from an apple.

- Jesus was baptized by Moses.

- Golgotha was the name of the giant who slew the apostle David.

Talk about Biblical ignorance! Would you like for me to give you a Bible quiz today?

II Timothy 1:12 Paul said, “I know whom I have believed.”

Not only did Paul know whom he believed, he also knew what he believed.

ILL.- A man was asked what he believed about God. He replied, “I believe what my church believes.” “What does your church believe?” He said, “My church believes what I believe.” “What do you and your church believe?” He said, “We both believe the same thing.”

Is that what you believe? That answer will not be sufficient in this evil world. It will not convert

anybody to Christ and it won’t keep you from evil.

ILL.- American humorist Josh Billings said one time, “I’d rather know a few things for certain than be sure of a lot of things that ain’t so.”

ILL.- Vance Havner said: “I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I don’t understand it all, but I stand on it. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I believe that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. I believe there is a heaven and a hell. I believe that Jesus is the answer to every problem - past, present and future.” Amen!

Brethren, what do you believe? What do you know for certain? On this rock I stand. We need to stand on the solid rock of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

PROP.- I want to consider this faith upon which we stand.

1- The belief of our faith

2- The basis of our faith

3- The building of our faith

4- The boldness of our faith

I. THE BELIEF OF OUR FAITH

Hebrews 13:9 “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings...”

Brothers and sisters, some people believe in some very strange things, some very strange teachings. Or they believe in some very strange doctrines.

ILL.- Here’s an example. Some people believe in and teach that we humans can be reincarnated. It is the idea that we can come back in another bodily form and this process can be repeated over thousands of years until perfection is reached and union with God is achieved.

Well, let’s see then. Who or what would I like to be when I come back next time? Richard Gere or perhaps Mel Gibson would be all right.

WELL, IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN, AS YOU ALL KNOW VERY WELL! Who in the world believes in this crazy, reincarnation business anyway? MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DO. This is one of the basic teachings of the Hindu religion. And reincarnation is not found in the Word of God.

I don’t want to make this sound bad, BUT ONCE SHE’S OVER, SHE’S OVER!

Hebrews 9:27 “Just as man is destined to die once (not many times), and after that to face judgment.”