Psalm 62:2
He alone is my rock and my salvation
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
This evening I want to focus in on Christ alone is my rock , my salvation and my fortress.
Three key words:
1. ALONE
2. ROCK
3. SALVATION (and with it fortress)
1. ALONE.
Some of the definitions of alone are
"without others help".
"only" or "exclusively". You alone can help me.
1.1 Without others’ help
Much of the Book of Isaiah is devoted to warning the Kings of Judah, be it the evil Ahaz or the godly Hezekiah not to trust in people.
In these cases alliances with the King of Assyria or the King of Babylon would not bring the peace that these kings were looking for. ONLY THE KING OF KINGS CHRIST HIMSELF.
What ALONE is not:
1.1. Jesus plus:
1.1.1 RICHES
my money/my prosperity/my family.....
1 Tim. 6:17
Command those who are rich in the present world not to be arrogant nor put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain but to put their hope in God
who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
Money is neutral, but it is the love of money that is condemned.
1.1.2 SELF CONFIDENCE:
He who trusts in himself is a fool
But he who walks in wisdom is kept safe (Pr.28:26).
Job 28:28: The fear of the Lord that is wisdom.
1.1.3 Lukewarm: Money and pride of possesions can also bring with it:
Lukewarmness.
Rev. 3:15&16: I know your deeds that you are neither hot nor cold....because you are lukewarm I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Being a Christian in not a Divine Insurance policy to insure you against HELL FIRE.
You cannot live according to the World’s principles and according to God’s principles.
Let me illustrate this.
Babylon is often used to depict satan and his power on earth, especially in the Book of Revelation. Jerusalem is used to picture the city of God.
Just as you cannot physically have one foot in Babylon and one in Jerusalem (as they are 1000 miles apart) so you cannot spiritually have one foot in Babylon and one foot in Jerusalem.
Note the first commandment: You shall have NO OTHER gods but Me.
1.2 Exclusivity
It is very precious this exclusivity that God wants with us. It is as intimate as a marriage. Indeed the Church is often referred to as the Bride of Christ.
The Lord wants a RELATIONSHIP with Himself
John 15:4 ABIDE IN ME.
We need to cultivate this relationship. With times of prayer and times of quiet.
Psalm 46:10 : Be still and know that I am God.
Elijah in 2 Kings 1:115 shows this well. The evil King Ahaziah had had an accidentand sent messengers off to the false god BaalZebub of the Philistines to see if he would recover.
Elijah met his messengers and told them that since the King did not enquire from God himself he would die. The messengers relayed the message and the king sent
troops to get Elijah. Instead of running away, Elijah relied on God and called down fire from heaven to destroy the troops. Two sets of 50: 100 men in total.
Then when the third troop came, and the commander asked for the prophet’s mercy, the angel of the Lord told him to go with that troop to the king (v.15) and so Elijah went fearlessly and told the King of God’s message. That the King would die.
Elisha in 2 Kings 6:15&18 was surrounded by enemy troops in Dothan. He prayed that they would be smitten with blindness by the Lord and they were.
1 John 4:4 :You dear children are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
If he ALONE is our support, we will overcome as we ABIDE IN HIM.
He is then the FOUNDATION of our lives which brings me to the next point.
The second point I want to look at is
2. ROCK:
In Matt. 16.16 Peter says to Jesus: You are the Christ, to which Jesus replies in verse 18: Simon you are Peter and on this rock will I build my church.
The foundation of the Rock Peter was his Faith in Jesus as the Christ.
In Gk Peter is PETROS
Rock is PETRA (from which we get our English word PETRIFIED)
In aramaic which Jesus probably spoke PETER and ROCK are the same word KEPHA. In French the same word too PIERRE.
This profound revelation from the Father was the Rock on which God has chosen to build his Church.
Rock is defined in the dictionary as:
i) a firm and dependable support
ii) as a source of danger and destruction.
Jesus the rock (I Cor. 10:4) our lives can either be the FOUNDATION or DESTRUCTION:
2.1. Christ the Rock of Support:
Christ is the PERECT SAVIOUR
2.2. Christ the Rock of Destruction:
HE is also the JUDGE of ALL THE EARTH. His is a righteous judgement.
But for those who reject Him he will execute the sentence of DEATH. 2 Cor. 5:10
As D.L.Moody the famous 19th Century Evangelist said: we should never preach about hell without tears in our eyes and giving people the chance to repent.
Matt 7:14
Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into effect is like a wise man who built his house on a Rock.
Matthew 7: 2428
The parable of the wise and foolish builders
What foundation are we building our lives?
Rock or Sand?
2.2.1. The House.
This parable is not taken from an ARCHITECT’S HANDBOOK.
So what does the house represent? It represents our lives:
Luke 11:2326,
He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters. When an evil spirit comes out of a man it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says "I will return to the house I left". When it arrives it finds the house swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.)
The house represents the human heart, the very being of man.
In the book of Proverbs, God says to us: My son, GIVE ME YOUR HEART and let your eyes keep my ways. Prov.23:26
Proverbs 4: 23 the Bible exhorts us Above all else to GUARD YOUR HEART for it is the well spring of life.
2.2.2. The Foundation
What foundation are you building your house on?
Jesus in verse 24 and 26 tells us about the foundation of the two houses.
Both relate to hearing what Christ has to say.
2.2.2a. SAND
The man who built his house on the sand HEARD CHRIST’S WORDS but they did not go down into his HEART.
THEY did not however result in action.
Story: Paul Little, IVF secretary in his book spoke to a student who had all sorts of intellectual questions about Christianity. After Paul had answered all he asked him if he would like to become a Christian: The student said no, because quite frankly it would mess up the way I am living!!
Sand can be packed together quite nicely so that it looks like a real foundation.
Interestingly SAND in hebrew hôl is derived from the word hûl which means to whirl or dance doubtless a reference to the ease the light particles of silex, mica and felspar can be lifted and whirled by the wind.
2.2.2b Rock
In contrast the rock is a sure foundation on which we can build. Jesus in Matthew 7:24 likens the man who hears AND PRACTICES what he hears to a man who
builds his house on the Rock.
Story: Consider both men, each comfortably in his house.
At first both houses look ok. The weather forecast is great and the two houses
seem to be both as good as each other.
2.2.3. The Storms of Life come.
What storms do we see?
Job, housing, safety, right marriage partner, money. you name it there is a storm for everything.
We might well know all the "right" religous terms to use. We might even say "Amen" in the right places in the sermon. But when the storms of life come we crack up.
The Scripture tells us that we will know foundations in a man’s life: By their fruit
you shall know them. (Matt 7.16).
In other words by what they do. We will know the false foundation by the fruit shown when the storms of life come.
When the storm comes, the mask is torn away and our real self surfaces. I have met people who know all the right charismatic words and have been to all the "in"
conferences and yet when troubles come to their lives they swear and curse like a trooper.
Story: Nizhizaka Hill is the place in Nagasaki Japan where the 26 martyrs were executed on 15 February 1597, 400 years ago. They went to their deaths singing Ps. 113. Paul Miki was preaching. Contrary to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan’s expectation the Christians’ faith was strengthened.
Amongst them was a young boy, Thomas Kosaki, was crucified for being a Christian with his father.
He wrote to his mother a letter while on his way to martyrdom:
"Mother we are supposed to be crucified tomorrow in Nagaski. Please do not worry about anything because we will be waiting for you to come to heaven. Everything in the world vanishes like a dream. Be sure that you never lose the happiness of heaven. Be patient and show love to many people. Most of all, about my little brothers Mansho and Philipo, please see to it that they are not delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. Mother I commit you to the Lord."
What a witness in the face of terrible persecution. But Thomas Kosaki had built his life on a firm foundation.
Where is your heart when the storms of life come? Will your faith still be standing?
2.2.4. The house on the rock remains standing and the house on sand collapses
So what happens to us when we do not build our foundations on Christ’s teachings. The first storms that come along and our house collapses like a deck of cards because the sand that we have built on is whipped away from beneath our feet. And what do we do, we blame God for all their misfortunes.
2.3. The RELATIONSHIP that we can have as we receive the SON gives us the BASIS to build on the ROCK.
Understanding and receiving the fact that Jesus is the Messiah leads to relationship with Him.
John 6: 67&69. Others had deserted Christ and Jesus asked the 12 "Will you desert me too?"
Peter replied: To whom shall we go, we know that you are the Holy ONE of God.
John 1:12: But as many as received him....he gave the right to become children of God.
John 15. 17
Just read it and meditate on it
John 15.15 I no longer call you servants...but friends.
Friendship with God is not doing things for him but having RELATIONSHIP with him
Luke 10:3842: Story of Mary and Martha.
2.4. The Result of the Revelation and Relationship is the ROCK.
James 1:28: When we really are anchored on the Rock of Christ we are not tossed about by doubts.
3. SALVATION
This is defined as:
3.1 The act of saving or being saved
3.2 Deliverance from sin and it consequences and admission to heaven brought by Christ
Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord: He is the stronghold in trouble.
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is the light of my salvation, whom shall I fear. The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid.
Stronghold and Fortress are the same.
Ps. 18.2: The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.
You see how closely these ideas are mingled.
The ROCK sure foundation
The fortress security and
Deliverer salvation.
We see similiar ideas in 2 Sam. 22:23
Fortress is defined as a military stronghold especially a strongly fortified town fit for a large garrison.
SALVATION gives you SECURITY in CHRIST.
Is. 25:9
Surely this is our God. We trusted Him and he saved us. This is the Lord we trusted in Him: Let us rejoice and be glad in our salvation
So what PRACTICAL THINGS can we learn from this:
1. Are you oppressed by many things: Bring it to Him
When Christ is our rock we can STAND against all the attacks of the enemy.
For these three things are our Fortress:
The Will of God the Father ALONE
CHRIST our Rock and The Holy Spirit who is the SECURITY of our salvation " Cor. 5:5
2. Cultivate the RELATIONSHIP with HIM.
a) Abide in HIM pray often and spend time listening
b) Read the Bible hear and put into practice what the Bible teaches.
c) Spend time with other Christians Learn to love one another and pray and support one another.
