The Rock

 

Matthew 16:18 (KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

Let’s talk about rocks today. It is Easter Sunday.

We are in church.. we are alive we have opportunities to make decisions in every breath we take, these decisions can be good or bad but either way they are our decisions and we live with what decisions we make.

 

I am not here to beg you, to plead with you, to even ask you to do anything.  I will not be asking you join anything or be a part of anything.

 

But at the end of this service today there will be an opportunity for a decision.  For some this opportunity may come again, for others this could be the only opportunity to make this decision.  The opportunity may never pass your way again.

 

Joshua 24:14-15 (KJV)

14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

 

Rocks, stones, and minerals are in quite abundance on this world we live in.

Rocks form mountains….

Rocks make homes and shelters..

Rocks make roads and bridges…

Rocks can be a refuge…

 

Max Lucado.. wrote a book… HE STILL MOVES STONES… Are you glad of that? A quote from that book I adhere to.. “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”

 

The 10 commandments where sewn in stone by the hand of God.

 

Rocks can also kill giants…

 

A shepherd boy with a sling… faces a 12 foot tall giant whom all the army of Israel is afraid.

 

They tried to give him armor and a sword.. but he had not proven them.

We should only use the things in which we have proven…

 

I practice with a pistol… I can hit what I aim at because I have proven it and know what I can do.   I have not proven a bow.. I don’t know if I could hit the broad side of a barn with a bow and arrow.

 

But here is the thing with this war we have going on for our soul…

 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

You do not walk out the door new with the Holy Ghost as a Lee Stoneking, Pastor Suggett, or T.W. Barnes type of faith and ability.

 

There are some things that have to be proven.

 

First off YOU have to be proven.

 

Psalm 17:2-4 (KJV)

2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. 3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. 4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

 

Psalm 66:10 (KJV) For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

Can God trust you? God has marvelous gifts to give, but you must desire them and be willing to take what comes with great power; great responsibility.

 

God’s always welcoming you to prove him! You must step out in faith.

 

You won’t be perfect; you just have to keep on trying and eventually you’ll get the hang of what you’re trying to accomplish. When God sees your efforts; he’ll bless you.

 

David faced both a lion bear before Goliath and he only had a shepherd’s crook and a slingshot to protect his sheep. He didn’t sleep away his time; he kept his eyes open, talked to God, and sang to God…

 

You don’t become a man after God’s own heart because you’re the king; you become the king, because you’re a man after God’s own heart…

 

When David went to the battlefield, he didn’t have to look for his sling shot, he kept it with him, because it was proven… A sword and shield wasn’t proven, but that sling shot was. I bet David could have knocked a bird out of flight with that slight shot… Why? Because he proved it, he used it, he kept it close, and he told God, “All I have is this slingshot… But I will use it, because you will help me where and when I need you.”

 

God will take what you offer and make a miracle!

 

1 Samuel 17:45 (KJV) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

 

Notice he didn’t mention the weapon he had proved? Why tell the enemy what you’re going to do or what you’re good at? David had the faith, and the slingshot; all he needed was one thing: ammo.

 

1 Samuel 17:40 (KJV) And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

 

David took some smooth stones out of the river, five specifically, but why five? He knew that that’d be enough to finish the job. You better not take on enemies until you have proven your weapons and have the ammo to back up what you’re doing.

 

Our Weapons and Ammo

 

The Word of God!

 

There is power in the word; it is written! The Word of God puts fear in the enemy. You need to know what His word says; it’s your rock! Your tower! Your refuge in time of trouble! Hide the word in your heart!

 

The Blood!

 

“What can wash away your sins? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus!” Let me tell something about Blood; it’s essential for life, we cannot live without blood. It’s what carries oxygen and nutrients throughout our body. It’s hard to wash away blood; you can pour bleach on it, and it may be gone to the naked eye, but evidence of it is still there. The Blood of Jesus is what washes and cleanses our soul. The Devil cannot cross it; his army of evil angels cannot pass the blood! How do I know? The Passover! Israel spread lambs blood on the door posts and God sent a death angel; this angel couldn’t pass the blood! What makes you think a fallen angel can pass the blood of Jesus? I’ve proven the power of the blood, I know what it can do, I’ve seen what pleading the blood of Jesus can do.

 

The Holy Ghost!

 

Acts 1:8 (KJV) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

Have you proven the power of the Holy Ghost? If you never have; you don’t know what it’s capable of! Before the Holy Ghost, the apostles couldn’t even cast a devil out of someone, but after the Holy Ghost came upon them:

 

Acts 3:6 (KJV) Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

 

These weapons are not of our body, but they are mighty in pulling down strongholds; both in you and around you!

 

David proved God! He provided the sling, gathered his ammo, and God provided the victory!

 

God is my rock; my refuge. In a storm, God will make a place for you to hide in the rock.

 

2 Kings 6:16-17 (KJV)

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

 

The enemy has his numbers; they are evil, cunning, and devious, but never forget that there’s more with us than with them!

 

Psalm 18:1-3 (KJV)

1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

 

Here is another Rock. Moses is coming to his end; he’s fought the good fight…

 

Exodus 33:21-23 (KJV)

21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

 

Are you ready for this? When you’re in the rock; you see God!

 

When you’re in the rock, God gives you vision to see Him and His works…

When you’re in the rock, you see God working in your life. You get to call things which are not as though they are… Because you’re in the rock! You see Jesus working on hearts over here and some over there. You see Him working!

 

Come on somebody… Get in the rock!

 

Do you know the tallest mountain of the world? Sure, most everyone says Mt. Everest, which is 29,029 feet tall. But Mt. Mauna Kea in Hawaii, if measured from its base on the ocean floor is 33,476 feet… It all depends on where you’re measuring from…

 

The rock of my salvation, however, has no beginning or end; no start or finish; no height nor depth…

 

How can you measure the power of the one true God? You can’t, because nothing compares to my rock.

 

The most powerful weapon man has made is an atomic bomb. Yet, the sun has nuclear explosions that are a million times more powerful than any bomb or reactor that man has made…

 

And God said “let there be light…” and billions and billions of stars bigger than ours were instantly created!

 

How can you measure that?