Christ the solid rock

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25. “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26. “Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27. “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27: 24)

Let me ask you a question. Are you worried about your future? I think most would have to say “YES.” We are in very troubled times, our economy is in a deep recession. (My grandfather and father would probably use the word depression). We have concerns about keeping or finding jobs, paying bills, keeping our homes, putting food on the table, health concerns. I don’t care who you are, a great many have real financial and health concerns.

Many times, Christians seem to fall back on the pat line “well, just trust in God, or I’ll pray for you.” While we absolutely should be praying for one another and trusting in God, just saying these things can seem very callous and uncaring. However, these things are still true and to have real peace in these troubled times, it is absolutely critical for us to have a strong foundation.

Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary defines foundation as the basis on which something stands or is supported. We need to be able to stand and the only way we can stand and be supported is with a solid foundation in Christ.

Let’s look at our opening Scripture. Jesus says. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them..” We must first hear these sayings, that means hearing the Word of God, reading it, listening to it taught and mediating on what it means in our lives.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You (Psalms 119:11)

You have to hide God’s Word in your heart, commit it to memory and repeat it in times of trouble. Not just any part, but parts that apply to your situation.

If you are having financial troubles stand on verses about God supplying your needs, caring for you. (Philippians 4:19, 1 Peter 5:7 are some well known examples.)

If you are believing for healing or have health issues stand on verses regarding healing.
(1 Peter 2:24, Matthew 4:24, Psalms 107:20 are just a few.)

This is what Jesus meant when he said, “I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

A rock is a solid foundation. It stands no matter what. (Think of Stone Mountain.) This is what God’s Word and your faith in Jesus Christ is for you, the solid rock. No matter what comes, you will get through it, not because of your own strength or knowledge, which is what the sand is in the above Scripture, but because of your trust in the Lord. I need to tell you, though, it does not come overnight, or in the dark times. It has to be built in the good times, when things are going great, when you want to get complacent and self satisfied. Instead of coasting in these times, this is when we should become strong in the Lord, know what His word says, and have it hidden in our hearts. Then when we are troubled, distraught, we can pull this confidence out of our hearts, not manufacture it in times of trouble.

Personally, in times past we have done both. For years we lived as nominal Christians just coasting through the OK times. But then, when our world fell apart, we had to learn to lean on God, to have faith in God. It was a rough time, we were filled with self doubt, worry and emotional turmoil. We sought God and we found Him!!

James 4:8-10: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

These verses are very descriptive of what we went through and what many are going through now. We had major problems, our world as we knew it had fallen apart.

We started drawing near to God. But notice the next verses. “Cleanse your hands your sinners!” Yes, we had to admit we had done so many things wrong, not in the world’s eyes but in God’s eyes. We had to repent and purify our hearts because we were double minded, trying to live the world’s way while wearing the thin coat of Christianity on our backs. Believe me, we did a lot of lamenting and weeping and had to learn to humble ourselves in God’s eyes. You see, only God can solve our problems. We can’t, and it is very arrogant of us to think we can get ourselves out of situations without God’s intervention and direction. We had to learn and put into practice Proverbs 3:5-10. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6. in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. 9. Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; 10. so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

We have to acknowledge God in all our ways, before He will direct our paths. We cannot be wise in our own eyes. In other words, we cannot try to find the answers ourselves, or find the solution in the world’s way of doing things. Believe me, this will only be a temporary fix at best, and will be worse in the long run!

We have to trust, lean not on our own understanding and acknowledge Him! It is that simple. Three steps that lead to peace of mind and solutions to our problems.
“But, I’ve been trusting and leaning, you might say. For a long time!! How long do I have to wait, how long does it take God to answer prayers?”

It is important for us to remember that God’s ways are not our ways. That is why it is so important for us to know His Word. There is always something in His Word that will help us through your waiting period. Joseph spent years in slavery and prison before becoming leader in Egypt and seeing God’s plan for his life unfold, even though he had been given dreams about it as a young man. (See Genesis 39-45.) The children of Isreal wandered in the desert 40 years before entering the Promised Land. These are but a few examples. Don’t become discouraged, keep your eyes on God. It is so true, when you lean not on your own understanding He will direct your paths. At times you may not even realise it, but He does.

Then as you become strong in the Lord, and you are living in a place of peace in you heart and mind, it is important to keep God’s Word first in your life. You cannot let down your guard. I think there was a line from a recent comedy with Tim Allen. “Never give up!!”
It is so true, never, never give up, or give in to the enemy’s tactics.

1 John 4:4: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

I have found that the 91st Psalm is a very good place to start your stand in the Lord.

1. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your habitation, 10. No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11. For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
12. They shall bear you up in their hands, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample under foot. 14. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him.
16. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.

The key is dwelling in the secret place of the most High. Dwelling is a permanent location, it is not a temporary home, it is permanent, and one to develop and stay in forever. This is how we need to view these verses, as a permanent dwelling in our life, a place to stay constantly, not come and go. This has to represent our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a permanent dwelling. One that will cost, but has so many rewards included.

Let me close with the words to one of my favourite hymns.

MY HOPE IS BUILT
THE SOLID ROCK
Words: Edward Mote, circa 1834;
Solid Rock, William B. Bradbury, 1863

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

By Mark Baker

Mark was raised a Catholic and was born again at the age of 17. He received God’s call into ministry at the age of 19 and began to prepare for ministry. He graduated from Rhema Bible Training Center in 1979. “The Lord has called me to teach. My desire is to help all that are seeking the truth to come into a deeper understanding of what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. Olive Branch Ministries is an outgrowth of that desire”, says Mark.  Please visit his website for more resources to help you on your journey. www.olivebranchministries.us