The Rock
We’ve talked about pride, and how it deafens us to God’s voice and His will for us. We’ve touched on rebellion, and how it leads to eternal separation from the Father. And we discussed how both of these negative traits lead to that hard place:
the hardened heart. But the Lord loves us still, and wants us to live
a holy life that produces good fruits of the spirit. So we’ve learned that
God chastens us, to replace our pride and rebellion with humbleness and obedience; to soften the heart made stony and rough
by the arrogance and willfulness of man in his fallen state.
But now I want to talk about the rock. The rock of ages;
the rock of our salvation; the rock of our strength. It is through the unchanging
hand of God through His son Jesus Christ that we are renewed in spirit, turned from evil and we uncover the repentant heart.
I’m sure we all remember in grade school when we learned of the pilgrims coming to the shores of
America for the first time. We recall
that the Mayflower carried Englishmen seeking a new life, a change in their existence and for some, a place to hide from their
crimes to a place called Plymouth Rock. And so Plymouth Colony was formed. Over time, these Englishmen sought independence from the monarchy and tyranny of England, and America
was born.
America was founded on that rock with the ideals of freedom and independence. And as we fast forward through time: through
colonization, the evils of slavery, the Civil War, the emancipation of slaves, Jim Crow, the genocide and subjugation of Native
Americans, the immigration of millions, racism and segregation, the Civil Rights movement, the free sex movement, homosexuality,
the Abortion movement, the assassination of presidents and human rights leaders, we now view our present rock. An America that has
become rich and prosperous off the fat of the land and on the backs of people of color.
An America that places money, material
possessions, stock portfolios and the latest electronic gadget before the very God who blessed this country with the abundance
that it enjoys. Much like Sodom, who became prideful
and lazy because of its riches, America
has become fat and slothful. We hide our homeless in back alleys or drop them
off in urban neighborhoods and then pass laws to keep them there. We ignore the
cutting pain of social and racial issues until they become open, gushing wounds. And
then we blithely apply a bandage to the problem and go on to the next fad or trend.
And then we got a wake up call. Every American remembers what
they were doing when terrorists commandeered jetliners and crashed them into the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon. Suddenly, centuries of racism and hatred faded away, as the citizens of this country
linked arms and belted out “God Bless America”
with voices choked with emotion. Even now, over five years later, there are some
who continue to be obsessed with determining just how something like that could be allowed to happen in a country that emanates
such magnificent excellence such as America.
But in the days following what has now become known as 9-11, thousands of Americans flocked to the churches. Devastated by the attacks, many sought the comfort and peace that can only be found
in the church: the rock upon which Jesus Christ built his ministry. The religious community expected a repentance and revival the likes of which had never been seen in this
country. But after witnessing thousands of Americans being killed in real time
on their TV screens, have we really seen the softening of the heart of America?
In an article published in the Prophecy News Watch newsletter on September 13, 2006 we find the unsettling
answer:
As the United States nears the fifth anniversary of the September
11 terrorist attacks, Americans are looking back at how their lives have changed in the half decade since that tumultuous
day. How have their spiritual lives been affected? A new study…examined data…involving interviews with more than
8,600 adults, conducted right before the attacks and at regular intervals since then.
The study shows that despite
an intense surge in religious activity and expression in the weeks immediately following 9/11 the faith of Americans is virtually
indistinguishable today compared to pre-attack conditions….
In the immediate aftermath
of the attacks, half of all Americans said their faith helped them cope with the shock and uncertainty. The change most widely
reported was a significant spike in church attendance, with some churches experiencing more than double their normal crowd
on the Sunday after the shocking event. However, by the time January 2002 rolled around, churchgoing was back to pre-attack
levels, and has remained consistent in the five years since.
So Americans
rushed to that rock of salvation when it seemed that all hell was breaking loose. But
when it appeared that their government had things under control; when it seemed that extra cocktail was making their outlook
brighter; when they heard that the latest version of their favorite video game was hitting the stores, then their hearts hardened
and their prideful arrogance reared its ugly head.
Since 9-11
we’ve seen numerous attempts to remove God from various arenas: in the
Pledge of Allegiance, in courtrooms, in nativity scenes at public buildings and in city logos.
One would think that those passionate renditions of ‘God Bless America’
were in fact, just orders for blessings on demand. When we’re in
trouble, we simply demand that God fix everything, make things better. We become
like the immature Christian who runs to the altar every Sunday, apologizing for their mistakes, never addressing the root
of the problem, but simply evading or shifting blame: it’s the terrorists,
it’s the illegal immigrants. But it’s never us. It’s never our pride, our arrogance, our rebellion and defiance against God.
Could it
be that the horror of 9-11, the droughts, the devastating storms of Katrina and Rita, the thousands dead, dying and missing,
the plagues, the pestilences and the wars are a call from a loving God that our hearts soften and repent of our sin. We read in 2 Chronicles 7:12-13:
12 And the LORD appeared
to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence
among my people; 14 If my people, which are called
by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
It is a simple plea. If my people
who are called by My name; that is the name of Christ or to be Christ-like or Christian.
Those who hear the shepherd’s voice and recognize it as their authority.
Those who accept their calling to serve God with all their hearts and minds and souls.
If those people would simply humble themselves and pray. If we could only
soften our hearts, sweep away the pride and rebellion. If we would only talk
to the Father in faith and meekness. If we would only submit and obey. That act of contrition: repenting and changing our hearts,
our minds, renewing our spirits. Then, that loving God, who is slow to anger
and slow to judge; that God who loves us so much that He sacrificed His chosen; that just God who gave His only son to remediate
the sin of the world; He would hear our prayer. He would remember His promise;
he would forgive our pride, our rebellion, our defiance. He would restore us
to Himself and he would heal the hurts of a race-torn, murder-filled, idol-worshipping land.
It was Jesus who announced
His ministry with a call to repent. The very same call that we heard God ask
of Solomon. We read in Matthew 4:17:
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
From the outset, the Lord taught us that the act of repentance was necessary
for a right relationship with Him. Because Jesus gave His life to redeem us to
Him, by refusing to repent, we are actually denying Christ’s finished work on the cross.
Throughout His time upon
this earth, Jesus continued to stress that even the most heinous of sins could be washed white by the repentant heart. And he taught us that no one is above reproach.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We read in Luke 13:2-5:
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose
ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners
above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
And for those of you who
think that you will hold on and make that last-minute, death bed confession. Here’s
food for thought. We know not the hour of our death and we know not when Jesus
will return. Do you really want to gamble your eternity on an eleventh hour maneuver?
Do you really want to take a chance on whether Jesus will even acknowledge your feeble attempt at drive-thru salvation? We
read of such in Luke 16:19-31:
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously
every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus
in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for
I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham
said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And
beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither
can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may
testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead,
they will repent. 31 And he said unto him,
If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
For there are those whose hearts are so hardened, that even if Enoch and Elijah
themselves appeared before them, they would deny their authority as the Two Witnesses.
They would question the timing of the arrival or challenge their message or focus on their physical appearance. There are those who will read this very message, and spend more time correcting
the spelling and grammar than taking the words to heart. For their focus is on
the letter of the law and not the spirit therein. Their hearts are stony and
full of pride. But the Lord says in Revelation 3:19:
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:
be zealous therefore, and repent.
Is it too much to ask? For God so loved us that He gave His only Son.
Before the foundations of this world, He knew that He would have to give the ultimate sacrifice: Himself. It was His desire that we never be separated from
Him. And so He gave us the rock of our salvation.
He is The Prince of Peace,
The Word made flesh,
Our Lord and Savior,
the Messiah born
of a virgin,
The King of Kings,
The Lord of Lords,
The Lion of Judah,
The Lamb of God,
The Son of God,
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The Way, the Truth and the Life,
The Living Waters,
The Bread of Heaven.
He is that rock of ages; that stone which the builders refused.
He is the foundation; the head stone of the corner.
He is Jesus Christ.
And with a truly repentant heart, we need never again find ourselves between The Rock
and a hard place.
