If Rock Could Talk Part 1
Luke 19:40-40 If Rocks Could Talk
Part 1
Luke 19:40
A new year brings many thoughts to my mind. As we close in on the end of 2003 I started thinking about the verse and wondering, “If the stones of the bible could cry out what would they say? So today’s message I have entitled If the Stones could speak… You see the more I went on a rock hunt the more I knew that God used rocks in the Bible to show significant occurrences of his faithfulness. By the way did you know that the word Stone is used 218 times in the Bible.
Rock hunts are fun… every vacation we go on the kids collect rocks to bring home to remind them of their the place they visited. You should give it a try it makes for cheap souvenirs. One word of advise, one rock per place per child seems to be the best formula… We’ve had to learn that the hard way. Each of the rocks the kids collect have a very special meaning. Last year the kids came home with rocks from lake Erie, the ocean, an island in Boston Harbor, coneia from St. Augusten Florida all reminder of a point in time and although the rocks can’t talk our family can give you stories for each rock.
There are a lot of things that change in life… people move, building are built and torn down, governments come and go. But stones don’t go anywhere they just kind of lay around in the same spot and waiting for something to happen or someone to pick them up.
I suppose the stones that witnessed the things of the bible are still right where they were when the things that were written happened. They serve as a reminder of day gone by, places seen and lives changed.
I suppose a good place to start our rock hunt would be in Genesis 28:10 There we find Jacob settling down for the night. He was running away from his brother after deceiving his father and receiving the blessing. He grabbed a rock for a pillow and placed it under his head. That night he had a dream where he saw the stairway to heaven and angels going up and down it. Then all the sudden the Lord spoke to him and told him that he would carry out the blessing promised to Abraham through his offspring. When Jacob awoke he took the stone and anointed it with oil and called the place Bethel.
A few years pass and 7 chapters and in chapter 35 of Genesis and we find Jacob back at Bethel again. Now he has married a couple of sisters and started a family. The Lord tells him to go home, Jacob is scared to death but everything works out and his brother had 14 years to cool off and meets him with a hug.
I think that if the stone could talk, It would tell us that Our God is a God of Second Chances… Even though Jacob started out the wrong way, God still blessed him. Isn’t it awesome that God can use us despite our imperfections.
I think that another thing we can learn is that God never leaves us. Jacob met God in his youth after he made a mistake and assured him that he would bless him. But it wasn’t going to happen right now there was some growing that had to take place.
In our lives when we first accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we think that everything is going to be perfect. Then we realize that there is a lot of growing that has to take place. Life is not as perfect as we thought it was going to be. People have different ideas than we do. The devil steps in and tries and often succeeds to get us off course.
We come to a place that we realize that we need to visit Bethel again… So we come back to the church we rededicate our lives to the Lord and we begin to grow again. I can’t help but think that there might be one of you here today that need to visit Bethel again. You gotten away from the way you once were with your relationship with the Lord.
I think the next stone that I would love to hear speak is found in Exodus 17… The people were having a difficult time believing that God would provide. You would think that after the Israelite people saw the water part and they walked across on dry land… You would think that after watching Manna fall to the ground and having Quail to eat that the people would be happy.
But no, they kept on wining. This time they wanted water to drink. Moses prayed to the lord for guidance and the lord told him to strike the rock and water would come out. So Moses did and out of the rock poured fresh water to drink.
I think that one thing we can learn from this is that God will always take care of us… even when we don’t deserve it.
We get whiny sometimes to. When things don’t go the way we want them to, we cry out to god to help us. When we get passed over for the promotion at work, when our mom spends more time with out sisters then she does with us. When no one helps with the laundry or the dishes and leaves the clothes all over the floor. When the kids are fighting with one another over something really trivial.
When in reality we need to be thankful that we have a job to go to, and a mom that love us, and clothes to ware and food to eat, We need to be thankful that God has blessed us with healthy children to fight.
Maybe there is someone today that has been caught up in the woe-is-me cycle of life and needs to stop and thank God for all that he has provided for you. Deprecation eats away at the soul and the best way to get out of it is to be thankful for all that God has done for you.
Now we can’t get through chapter 17 of Exodus with out stopping by at verse 12… The Israelites are fighting the Amalikites and most of you remember this story. Where the Israelites continue winning as long as Moses keeps his hands in the air.
Now Moses was getting kind of tiered. He wasn’t a young chicken anymore. So they grabbed a rock so Moses would have a place to sit. Now wouldn’t you love to hear that stone talk.
I think that if it could talk it would tell us that God will always provide a place for us to rest. He knows what we can handle and He will always provide someone to help us make it through the hard times. It may be someone sending us a card, or praying for us, or making a nice dinner for us, or watching the kids, or going to the hospital or doctors office with us.
God knows what we can bear and he will always provide someone to share the burden with. Someone to be there during the difficult times.
I can’t help but think that there is someone here today that is lonely and needs a friend but has never asked. You feel alone in your burdens, and have no one to come along side. There may be one here today that knows they are the one… There the one that to be there for you but don’t know how to take that first step. There may be one here today that need to go to someone and help them out. God is calling you to provide rest for someone else.
Of course we cannot exit the book of exodus with out stopping by at chapter 31… After 40 days of fasting and talking with the Lord, the Lord gave Moses the Law inscribed with his finger. 10 commandments to live by for their generation and the generations to come.
Could you imaging being those stones and feeling the finger of God write on you. Then cut you out of the side of a mountain to last for all time. If those stones could speak I sure they would tell us to listen… God doesn’t want you to get hurt, He doesn’t want you to feel pain in your soul… Follow the words written on the stone and you life will be filled with happiness.
There may be some here today that have gotten away from the basics, the 10 commandments given on that mountain. Now none of you here are probably murders, but there are commandments that you have broken and never asked for forgiveness and you need to do that today.
Now if you remember those stones never made it, once Moses hit the bottom of the mountain and saw what the people were doing he threw the stones and they shattered. Some of you may be like those stones and you thought you had it all together but some how in just a moment of time you life came shattering apart. Don’t worry because God is a God who restores things.
Moses headed back up the mountain this time pleading for forgiveness and the life of the people. This time the Lord didn’t make it so easy on Moses, it never is once we fail. In chapter 34:1 The Lord tells Moses to chisel out your own tablets this time. Then the Lord wrote with fire the commandments on the stone.
Some of you here today may be like those second set of tablets. God has restored you, it wasn’t easy, he had to break your pride, He had to humble you, but now your life has been restored and you need to step out in faith and follow his calling on your life. He has made your stronger because he has greater things for you, but he had to teach you to rely on Him.
No rock hunt would be complete without stopping by to see Joshua in chapter 4 verses 1-9. They worked hard on finishing the ark of the covenant. Joshua was now leading the Israelites and they had to get to the other side of the Jordan. God told them to just keep walking. Chapter 3:8 “Tell the priest of the covenant who carry the ark of the covenant: “When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river. Now when the priest stepped foot at the edge of the Jordan the water stopped flowing upstream and they were able to walk across on dry ground. God told one of the priest to stay in the middle for a moment. While 12 priest go to the middle and get stones to build an alter. So they took the stones from the middle of the Jordan river and made an alter for the Lord.
Folk if these stones could talk they would tell you of the awesome power of the Lord. They would tell you that nothing is impossible with God. But there is something else that they would tell you… They would say, If you don’t have the faith to step in the water… the water will never part. Sometimes we know what we are suppose to do but when the rubber hits the road we back off.
They would tell you to slow down and take time to praise the Lord. You see the ark had made it through… The priest had walked across on dry ground… It was time to get on with the task… But instead of moving on one remained in the middle of the river during flood stage on dry ground while the others built an alter to the Lord.
The priest had faith the God would protect him… Some of you here today need to slow down with your busy life and take time to be with the lord.
That reminds me of another stone… 5 to be exact and a small shepherd boy named David. Most of you know the story of David and Goliath. How he chose 5 smooth stones to fight a giant of a man. How he placed the stone into the sling shot and hurled it toward the Giant. How the stone landed in the middle of Goliath’s forehead and the Giant fail.
If that stone could talk it would tell you that there are no giants in your life that you cannot defeat with God on your side. Some of you here today are facing some giants in your life and you need to give it to the Lord. Friends there are no giants to big for the Lord
The final Stone that I would like to hear talk is the ones found in Nehemiah 4:1-6 Nehemiah tried to take a bunch of rubble and rebuild a wall while the rest of the world ridiculed him.
Follow along with me Nehemiah 4:1-6
Ridicule and insults can cut deeply, causing discouragement and disappear, sanballnt and tobaih used ridicule to try to dissuade the Jews from building the wall, instead of trading insults, however, Nehemiah prayed and the work continued. You see you can allow the insults to bring you down or build you up… The Jewish people just worked harder… as verse 6 says they worked with all their heart.
If the rocks could talk they would say, “When you are mocked for your faith or criticized for doing what you know is right, refuse to respond in the same way, take the high road… Tell God how you feel and put it in his hands… Remember he said that He will take care of things … Remember You can accomplish anything if you only set your heart on it… stay focused… stay prayed up… and don’t let other bring you down… If God told you to do it… Nothing can stop you.
God has placed many stones in your life to encourage you… to help you… to keep you on track… Keep pushing toward the mark. And I have only scratched the surface of the Old testament. Think about the new…
Mat. 4:3-4 Stones on the mount of temptation.
“Now when the tempter come to Him he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But he answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”
John 2:6 – It speaks of God’s Provision First miracle water into wine
John 4:6 It speaks of God’s restoration. Woman at the well
John 8:7 – It speaks of God’s Forgiveness – Woman caught in adaultry
John 11:38-44 – God awesome power to restore life – Lazerith raised from the dead
Luke 22:41-44
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed. Saying, “Father if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. Then the angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
As Christ poured his soul over that rock he knew what was going to happen. This Savior that had lived the perfect life. Never having to pay for the consequences of Sin. Never failing at anything the Father told him to do. Never feeling the pain of hurting others with our actions.
Yes, He did it all for you and all the pain all the heartache all the grief, everything so that you and I may have eternal life. And some of you still reject him as your Lord and Savior. What else could he possibly do for you? Nothing… Now its your turn to do something for Him, simply accept all that he did and in return you will have the gift of eternal life… Deny it and you will have the gift of eternal separation from God. Now the balls in your court… What are you going to do?
At this time I would like to encourage you to come to the alter if the Lord has spoke to you today. Maybe you are like Jacob and need reassurance that God is a God of second chances… He loves us and wants to bless us inspire of our imperfections.
Maybe your like the Jewish people and in a woe-is-me point in your life and you just need to stop and thank God. Maybe your tiered and feel you can’t go on and you need to rest in the Lords arms for a while. You have been fighting the battles to long and you need to give them to the Lord.
Some of you may need to be like the second set of tablets. Your walk with the Lord has been shattered and you need to restore your walk with the Lord.
Maybe you need to slow down and take time to praise the Lord… Your life is to busy for the Lord… It has been a while since you spent time with him… He has been so faithful to you and now its your turn…
Maybe its time to look at yourself and stop looking at others…It is so easy to see the faults in others and miss your own. It is so much easier to make fun of other instead of looking at your own imperfections.
Maybe you realize for the first time that it was Jesus that poured out his heart on that Rock in the garden for you. He knew that the only way you could ever enter into heaven was through his death. Now it is time for you to accept that gift.
Please Stand and bow your heads
