God Is My Rock

God is my Rock, God is your rock. Say it together with me, “God is My Rock”. In saying that, my guess is that the images or meaning that this statement brings to mind are not the same for each of us. There may be as many interpretations to that statement as there are people in this room. What I would like to explore with you this morning is four examples of God being our rock. My thesis is that, “In living out the metaphor that God is my rock, we can sometimes settle into a pattern that is less than Biblical, and if so, we need to have a bigger view of God.” My thanks to Leon Koop who was willing to help with a few vignettes to help our imaginations.

Lets begin with our first vignette.

(The first would be experiencing the tiny pebble in the shoe creating instant discomfort, far beyond its tiny size.)

We’ve all had it happen to us, we are going along on our merry way, and suddenly, a tiny little stone in the wrong place can cause instant attention; the pain acute. Let’s call it a God-seed. A sharp instant event that makes us aware of the one who is beyond our control, our manicured environments. How long can people live without thinking of God? How long can you go living the ordinary before something happens that draws your attention back to God? What does it take?

A near accident? Something precious lost? Bad News? Good news? Maybe for some of you that aren’t quite so busy, or quite so thick in the skull, it might be the beauty of nature, the sense of order in the universe, or the beauty of music. God seeds don’t have to be bad, but they often come in the form of crisis.

Crisis causes us to reach out for something solid, something we can depend on, kind of like a rock. That’s not a bad thing, but if we only think about God in a crisis, we indeed have a very small view of God, and it needs to grow. We were created to have an ongoing relationship with God, not just to run to Him when we are in trouble. Our God Seed needs to grow.

Lets move to our second vignette.

(The second would be God as a rock the size of a nice sized skipping stone. In this scenario, God is like a pet rock, take Him out and play with it when you want, but ignore Him when you don’t.)

In 1975, Garry Dahl established Rock Bottom Productions, a company that sold pet rocks for US$3.95 each. The stones, imported from Rosarito Beach in Baja California, Mexico, were swaddled in packing material and nestled in a small cardboard box, similar to a pet carrier. A "Pet Rock Training Manual", with instructions on how to properly raise and care for one's newfound pet (notably lacking instructions for feeding), was included. The instruction manual contained several commands that could be taught to the new pet. While "sit" and "stay" were effortless to accomplish, "roll over" usually required extra help from the trainer. "Come" was found to be impossible to teach, but "attack" was fairly easy. (source: Wikipedia)

It sounds too good to be true, a pet that you don’t have to buy food for or clean up after, doesn’t need to be walked, inexpensive, and doesn’t die. Sound’s like the pet for the 21^st century! Of course there is the downside, all of the interaction, love and companionship are all up to you, needing to be imagined. Minor drawback.

What about our relationship with God, our rock? Do we seek interaction, love and companionship on our own terms, and when it is convenient for us? Are we guilty of treating God like a pet rock? Sometimes I think we are, I think I am. When we live the Christian life without consistency, or costly discipleship, we are guilty of interacting with God on our terms. And in the end, that’s not a very satisfying faith, just like rocks really don’t make good pets.

What allows us to do that? Perhaps it begins from a skewed view of grace. It doesn’t really matter does it? I believe, what more is there? But there is more! Like what Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 6:19,20:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy

Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

You were bought with precious blood, it wasn’t cheap, don’t live like it was. We can’t just do what we want, when we want. Paul went so far as to describe himself a slave to Christ, knowing he had been forgiven a debt he couldn’t have ever repaid. Paul knew very well that he was not the master of his universe, do we? Does our love for God and our desire to honor Him trump our own desire for comfort and convenience? If I’m honest, sometimes it does, often it does not.

Alternatively, we might treat God like a pet rock because of a shallow exposure to Christianity. It works kind of like a flue shot – exposure to enough of the stuff so you don’t get the real thing. “Yes, I tried that, didn’t do anything for me.” Have you confessed your sins to God, and accepted Jesus into your heart, and asked Him to make you into a new creature? Have you experienced the joy and freedom of a guilt-free conscience – not because you are good enough, but because of God’s grace? Could it be that there is more to the Christian life that I have yet to experience, more of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that would change the way you and I live?

Again, perhaps our experience of God our Rock needs to grow more.

Let’s look at vignette three.

(The third would be a rock about the size of a bowling ball. In this scenario, the rock is a ball and chain, keeping you from experiencing what the world sees as freedom and joy.)

God is my rock! Wow, who could live this way? And yet we do. When our relationship to God is defined by rules and regulations, obligations and duty, there is little room for joy, for life. This past year I read “The year of living biblically” by AJ Jacobs, a secular Jewish writer, who experimented with faith by following as many Biblical rules as he could for one year. While he met some interesting people and had some truly strange experiences, he never really got to the point of personally understanding God’s love for him by obeying rules. And so I believe it is for us.

Obedience without relationship is legalism, which is not at all a fun way to live, nor is it appealing or inviting to others. In fact, it leads to death. If your view of God as a rock resembles the ball and chain we have been talking about, I’m surprised you’re here. Unless of course you are purely here out of a sense of obligation. There is good news. God did not intend for the Christian life to be pure misery. Yes, there are commandments and Biblical principles, but God’s intention was not to confine us, but to allow us to live out our designed purpose. Like the eldest son in the parable of the lost son, we have been invited to a party; grace is worth celebrating in all of our lives. God’s expectations for righteous living are high… “be holy as I am holy”, but we were never expected to achieve a single ounce of spiritual progress in our own strength or will, it is accomplished by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit and the transformation that happens through His power. God being my rock was never meant to be a punishment. If you feel it is, you need to talk to somebody after the service. It was for freedom that Christ set us free.

What does a biblical example of God my rock look like? Lets see our fourth vignette.

(Finally, God is represented by bedrock, the solid foundation that supports the wise builder who built his/her house on the rock.)

You probably recognized the connection to the parable of the one who built his house on the rock, instead of the sand. To say God is my bedrock-rock, is to say God is my foundation. I know that there are a few people in the congregation that know a whole lot more about foundations than I do, but here are a few observations. Foundations are not flashy, people don’t go around saying, wow, you’ve got a great foundation! They are for the most part hidden. But what they lack in presence, they make up for in function. All the fancy stuff that looks good wouldn’t stand up for long without a good foundation. Cracks would appear, and when things begin to shift its not pretty. And, its major work to rebuild foundations when things are not done well.

It always seems like a lot of work to get out of the ground, to the point where the exciting stuff begins to happen, but a good foundation is crucial. I have a friend who is getting ready to build a house, but the soil in his area is really sandy. He’s dug down a fair way already, and all he can find is sand, beautiful for a beach, but not to build your house on.

How do we make God the foundation of our lives?

I know that you know, but let’s remind ourselves again how simple it really is. It starts with an invitation. God, through Jesus Christ has already given you one, “Hey, I love you, I died and rose again for you, how about we spend the rest of your life together, and then eternity? And then it is up to us to accept and make a counter invitation:

“So, I seem to be making a bit of a mess of things living for myself, so how maybe you should take over?” And so it begins.

Second, I think we need to get to know who God is, and who we are in relationship to Him. There is something that changes the dynamic of a relationship when we start from a point of creator/creature. I cannot say, “You don’t know what you are doing! You made a mistake!” The pot cannot say to the potter, “why did you make me this way?” Do you really think you can make a better plan for your life than God? Dream on.

Thirdly, I think we need to grow in our understanding of God’s extravagant love for each of us, and to experience that in a personal way, daily. Jesus describes it in John 15 as abiding in him. Another way of looking at it is something that Brother Lawrence ( a 15^th century monk) called practicing the presence of God. We can cultivate the ability to think often of God, and to remind ourselves that our desire should be to honor Him through all of life. In his case it was while he was doing common chores. We can do it while we drive, or hammer, or whatever opportunities present themselves in your situation.

Fourthly, we need to explore and cultivate the classic spiritual disciplines in our lives, both corporate and as individuals. There are many good books that can encourage us in these things: one could never cover in part of a sermon, so I won’t even try. But what if we were to take a few more baby steps and challenge ourselves to go further. Maybe it is time to fast on a regular basis, join a small group for Bible study, or go serve those in need with MCC or MDS? Pray about it.

Finally, we need to be less Canadian, polite and respectful, giving people their space, and be willing to be real with one another about our faith journey and be willing to be a support for one another. I’m not suggesting that we go around sharing our most intimate details indiscriminately, but we each need to have circles of intimacy where we are willing to be vulnerable, honest, and supportive.

Biblically speaking, God my Rock, doesn’t just have to do with foundation, it also has to do with fortress. God my Rock is used in many places in the Psalms to declare that God is our protector, our refuge our shelter. So, David looked to the mountains for his image of God my Rock:

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From whence shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (Psalm 121)

And again from Psalm 18, David testifies:

I love the Lord my strength, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.

(Psalm 18:1,2.)

As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried;(that means proven). He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. (verse 30)

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God, the god who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless? (verse 31,32).

The Lord lives!, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation! (verse 46)

That’s no pet rock!!!

David testified to a God whom he found to be his refuge and strength. He came to this understanding while he protected his sheep from bears and lions, in defeating the blasphemous Goliath, as he hid in the rocks from Saul, from the Philistines, and even from his own son, Absalom.

But David was not the first to exalt God his rock, that honor goes to Moses. Way back in Deuteronomy, chapter 32, Moses shared his final message with the people of Israel before they would go on into the promised land without him. In this message, he referred to God the Rock five times. The message is one of warning, for a people who in the past have been obstinate and disobedient. It is a message of warning for those who take The Rock lightly, sorry for the pun.

Verses 3,4: For I proclaim the name of the Lord; Ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, For all his ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

Verse 15: But Jeshurun (the upright one – referring to Israel) grew fat and kicked – You are grown fat, thick, and sleek – then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

Verse 18: You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.

Verse 30: How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given them up? Indeed, their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves judge this.

Verse 36-39: For the Lord will vindicate His people, and will have compassion on his people. He will say, where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge? See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides me; it is I who put to death, and I who give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal; and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.

Kind of makes you squirm a bit doesn’t it. God my Rock is not One to be trifled with, or treated with apathy. Perhaps Moses would be just as concerned for the people of God in North America, where as a society we have enjoyed prosperity, forgotten about justice, and believe our success is a result of our own effort, rather than God’s providence.

“God is my Rock.” It is a statement of trust, a statement of hope, a statement of certainty. It is a statement based not on the shifting sands of human emotions, academic theory, world economies, or political trends; but on the unchanging character of God.

How big is God your rock? Are you measuring in grams, ounces, pounds or trillions of tonnes?

May each of us grow in our understanding and experience of God our Rock, that we might bring glory to His great Name.

Amen.