Alba 7-20-2025
THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION
I Corinthians 10:1-4
This morning we sang the old hymn, Rock of Ages. There is a story told about what inspired the words of that hymn. It was written by Augustus Toplady, a preacher in England in the 1700's. According to the story, he was riding a horse when a strong rain storm began. Looking for some shelter, he saw a cleft in a rock that would give some protection from the storm. The particular rock is in Burrington Combe gorge in North Somerset, England. It even has a plaque on it with this claim to fame. In that place, it is said, that he thought of scriptures like Exodus 33:22 when God said to Moses on Mt. Sinai, “I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by”.
Another scripture that obviously inspired the hymn would be our text for today, I Corinthians 10:1-4, where it says, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (NKJV)
Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation. He is the solid rock, the foundation of our faith. When Peter made the good confession and said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Jesus told Peter that on that rock He would build His church. That confession is more solid than Peter could ever be.
What is interesting in our text for today is the reference to the times when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after Moses delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Because, these verse clearly say that those people, years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, were being led and provided for by Jesus Christ. That is another proof that “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
What is even more interesting is that the things that are part of our Christian faith is shown to be represented in the experiences of the Israelites: namely baptism and communion. We generally do not think of those two things being mentioned in the Old Testament. Yet here they are.
Lets Consider Baptism
The word baptism in the original Greek language meant a literal dipping into the water, not just a little water sprinkled or poured. That is why we practice full immersion into the water. The sea that is referred to in verse two is likely the Red Sea.
Remember, that is where the waters parted and the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Then the Egyptian army that was pursuing them drowned as the waters came back together. Walking through that wall of water with the cloud of God's presence overhead, the Israelites were immersed, so to speak, with water all around.
They were baptized into Moses. He was their deliverer. Without him they would still be slaves in Egypt. And now, Jesus is our deliverer. He rescues us from the slavery to sin. (And who of us can say we don't need that!) And we are to be baptized into Christ.
In the New Testament the command to be baptized is preceded by other things that need to be in place. If they are not, a person may get wet but not have any true change in their relationship with the Lord. Faith, real acceptance of the message of Jesus Christ and trust in Him, is the first and necessary prerequisite. Without faith, there is no purpose to religious rites or ceremonies. Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Belief comes first.
And there is more. In Acts 2:38 Peter begins to use the keys to the Kingdom of heaven that Jesus gave him so that the door to salvation would be open to all. There it says, “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Repentance also comes first, and is based on faith in Jesus.
When a person repents, it means that they have seen in themselves the sin and regret for wrongs that have been done. It means that they no longer want to live that way. It means that they will make a change in their thoughts which results in a change of action.
It takes a lot for this transformation to occur. The reason is that we often love the sin. It becomes a habit. It is just “part of who we are.” Only when, and if, we come to grips with the reality that sin is harmful; Harmful to our relationship with others, our family and friends, and harmful to our relationship with God, can change begin.
And when we see the pain and agony that Jesus went through when He allowed Himself to be nailed to that cross so that the largest, and even the smallest, of wrongs we have ever done could be forgiven, it is then the mind and heart can begin to see the need to change our ways. And then, that is when we need to follow the urging that Ananias gave to Paul, “Now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)
Romans 6:2-3 asks, “do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
When we are baptized, we come into Christ. And there we stand upon a firm foundation that cannot be shaken, because we are standing on the solid rock. And that rock is Christ – the rock of our salvation.
Now Lets Consider Communion
Reference to baptism is not all this scripture does. In verses three and four is a reference to two other experiences of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. They were in desert areas where there was little food growing and water was hard to find. Like us, when they got hungry and thirsty, they started to get grouchy and complained, complained, complained.
So Moses went to the Lord about this problem. That is always a good idea. When you have a problem, some difficulty, some irritation, go to the Lord. Speak to Him. Tell Him all about your troubles. He will hear your faintest cry. And He will answer bye and bye.
The Lord's answer to Moses was that He would rain down bread from heaven, enough each day for that day. But when it appeared, the people seemed confused and asked “What is it?” In the Hebrew language, that question becomes “manna”. So that is what they called it. “Let's have 'what is it' for breakfast. Let's have 'what is it' for lunch and supper.”
That word has meaning for us as well, because sometimes we have asked God to help us in some way, and then something strange and different happens. Yet, just as manna filled the need for food for the Israelites, God's answer to us meets our needs. Even if it is different from what we expected, God's answer is always good.
Manna was bread from heaven. When Jesus was being challenged by the people, in John 6:30-35, they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
And that leads to the next experience of the Israelites who were wandering in the wilderness. They got thirsty. In Exodus chapter seventeen it tells how there was no water for the people to drink. So they complained to Moses. They were good at complaining. The said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” This time God told Moses, “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And it happened! And now, the rock of our salvation is Jesus Christ. In John 7:37 Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
So how does all of this relate to the communion we take every week as we come together to worship? Jesus answers that question as He continued to speak to the people in John chapter six. In verses 51-58 He told them, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
At the time Jesus said these words, many who had been following Him could not understand what He was saying, and they turned away from Him. If that is difficult for any of us to understand, all we need to do is go to the time just before Jesus was crucified. Jesus knew what was going to happen, and He was prepared to give His life for us.
You see, Jesus and the disciples had come together to celebrate the Jewish Passover. And Matthew 26:26-29 says, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
And on the Day of Pentecost, a new Kingdom was established. The church of our Lord began with 3,000 converts on that day. And now we meet regularly to worship and remember what Jesus did to make forgiveness possible for us. When we partake of communion, it should not be done in an off-hand manner. This is not snack time in church. It is a time to reflect. It is a time to consider what Jesus has done for us. And it is a time to look into ourselves, and recommit ourselves to the One who loves us so much that He would do what He did. Because He is the rock of our salvation.
No matter who we are, or what we have done, we all need Jesus. We need the solid foundation that only He can provide. Anything else is sinking sand. Wise men, and women, build their house upon the rock. So those who are wise will put their faith in Jesus and start living a new way.
Those who are wise will commit themselves to Jesus taking the action of faith by being baptized into Christ. Those who are wise will continue to fellowship with other Christians and regularly remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross by sharing in a time of communion, partaking of the Lord's Supper. Those who are wise will build their lives upon the Rock.
CLOSE:
The story is told of two men crossing a rugged mountain range on horseback. As they came to a large and swift flowing river, the older and more experienced man said to the younger, “As we get to the deepest and swiftest part, be sure not to look down or from side to side at the swirling water around you, it will only make you dizzy.”
“Listen to me,” the older man continued sternly, “see that big rock on the other side? Keep your eyes focused on that rock!” “OK” said the younger man.
As the men then crossed, they quickly approached the swift and turbulent midstream waters. The horses began to panic, the spray of the icy waters splashed against the men’s faces. The young man got nervous and began to look on the waters swirling angrily around him and his horse. Becoming dizzy-headed, he began to struggle to remain on the saddle.
The older man looked back, and noticing the young man struggling, hollered out, “Keep your eyes focused on the rock! Keep your eyes focused on the rock!” The young man, barely able to hear, desperately and with great difficulty focused his eyes on the rock. Soon his head began to clear, and in a few moments they were on the other side safe and sound.
If we look for something to help keep us strong and stable in our lives, worldly things will fail and leave us hanging. But there is a rock we can trust. He will take us safely to the other side. If Christ is our rock of rejoicing here below, we shall also rejoice with Him in the life to come because He is the “Rock of Ages”.
