Christ The Rock
I grew up in a Christian home and I can remember many traditional songs from my childhood one of them goes something like this: On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand all other ground is sinking sand.
Thats one of the great hymns of my past .It’s still a great hymn for today .
What does it mean Christ is a solid rock ? That is what I’m going to talk about today.
In the bible Christ is Identified as a Cornerstone
The Cornerstone
Definition of a cornerstone:cor·ner·stone
ˈkôrnərˌstōn/
noun
noun: cornerstone; plural noun: cornerstones
- a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.
- an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.
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foundation,
"trust is a cornerstone of human relations"
Cornerstone ******from bible study tools******
Architectural term used twice in the New Testament ( Eph 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ; 1 Peter 2:6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." ) to speak of the exalted Jesus as the chief foundation stone of the church, the cornerstone on which all the building depends. The New Testament draws on two Old Testament passages about the coming Messiah ( Isa 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.' ; Zech 10:4 From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler--all of them together.). In Isaiah 28:16 the prophet speaks God's words directly to the rulers in Jerusalem who boasted that they were immune to the scourges of life because they were secure in themselves. God said their security was false because he would lay a stone in Zion, a precious cornerstone, which really was secure and it was not those present rulers. Zechariah expands this promise by saying that the cornerstone will come from the tribe of Judah (10:4). Paul builds on this concept in Ephesians 2:20 by saying that Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone, the apostles and prophets are foundation stones, and the whole building (the church) is a holy temple in the Lord. Peter's use of the idea is more complex, stringing three prophetic verses together ( Psalm 118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ; ; 28:16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.' ). The stone laid in Zion (Isa 28:16 ) is precious to the believer, but as the stone placed at the "head of the corner" , that is, exalted ( Psalm 118:22 ), he is a stone of offense and stumbling ( Isa 8:4 ) to those who refuse to believe. The metaphor seems obvious: the cornerstone is either a source of blessing or judgment, depending on a person's attitude toward it. Some modern interpreters, beginning with J. Jeremias in 1925, take a different tack, separating the two stones and making the cornerstone one thing and the stone at the "head of the corner" another, that is, a capstone or keystone. It is hard to visualize one stumbling over a capstone, but metaphors can be stretched. In any case, the point is that the very foundation of the church is Jesus Christ. This was prophesied by the prophets of old and fulfilled through the incarnation. Those who believe are blessed and those who stumble over that rock chosen by God are condemned.
Calling Christ the Capstone isn’t as strong a metaphor as a cornerstone. It does work in that when a arch is made out of stone the one in the middle ,at the top is the capstone it keeps the rest from falling . The capstone keeps it together. Just as without Christ we fall apart ,with Christ as our capstone he holds us together.
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We can see through this article that Christ being the cornerstone in whom the church is built off of (not Peter). True ,square and solid. Like the man who built his house on the sand and the storms of life came along ,the house fell apart or his life fell apart . The man who built his house on solid foundation ,that is his life is in Christ the solid foundation ,when life storms come along ,his life doesn’t fall apart he is solid because his foundation is solid . His life is built on Christ and what Christ has done for him and not on his own deed or works. Matt 7:24-27
24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
7:24–27 This parable concludes the Sermon on the Mount and attests to the reliability of Jesus’ words. Wise people hear His words and respond accordingly. Foolish people disregard Jesus’ teaching, fail to act righteously, and go to their own destruction.
If you are a Christian and troubles enter into your life ,struggles,worry ,financial, marriage , kids,and any other numerous things .How does your walk stand ,is it in line with the Cornerstone that is the Christ.
Christ the living stone
1 Peter 2:4-8
4 As you come to him,( Jesus) a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”fn
8 and“A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense.They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
When we come to Christ ,the living stone ,a solid rock, the corner stone ,He Jesus is what we as believers build our faith off of ,guide our lives from, we are like the living stone . We are being transformed into the image of Christ the creator. Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
I would like to take a look at a verse that relates back to the Old Testament from the New Testament
1 Cor 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
This Rock is capitalized it is a representation of Christ. A type of Christ ,what's the rock give ? WATER without water we die . The Rock was a source of living water .Christ is our source of living water.
John 4
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.fn The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Of course the water being spoken of is a spiritual water Probably refers to the Holy Spirit. ,our trust in Christ the Holy Spirit living in us we live even when things seem dire..
Never be thirsty again ,is referring to a person's deepest desire to know God personally will be satisfied.
Isaiah 12 :3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name,make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.
Wells of salvation is a endless supply of the spiritual water that is the Holy Spirit that comes through our faith in Christ as our redeemer ,foundation ,or cornerstone ,our capstone ,our Rock ,from him flows the living water , because of what he did on the cross for us we have the opportunity to draw on the living water for strength and peace the living water is no other than the 3rd person of the trinity the Holy Spirit..
There are many verses that show Christ as a rock our sure foundation . Hope I've being clear here. Would like to end this with the lyric of the hymn I mentioned at the beginning.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
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.
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.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Give thanks to God for a sure solid foundation found only in Christ.
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