Rock of Ages The Wayfarer 4/7/16

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Rock of Ages
4/7/16

Matthew 7:24-27 King James Version (KJV)

²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Rock of ages, a hymn familiar to many, penned long ago by A. M. Toplady and Thomas Hastings echoes across the years with the beautiful harmony of voices singing the “shaped notes” of that harmony that formed choirs of whole congregations in years past, and, though somewhat more sparsely, still forms choirs of assembled worshippers congregating to give praise and thanks throughout this country and others as well today.

The Rock of Ages being lauded is one far harder than the hardest granite, far more unchanging than any composition known to mankind, and far more precious than the strongest, hardest of natural rock formations… that would be the much sought after diamonds that are so prized for their value by mankind.

That Rock lauded in this old hymn holds far greater value than any diamond or precious metal that may be extracted from the bowels of the earth, and remains the firmest foundation within existence on which to build your “house”, often a term used to describe the line of families from generation to generation.

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.

Let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.

Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no languor know,

These for sin, could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone;

In my hand no price I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death,

When I rise to worlds unknown, and behold Thee on Thy throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.”

Though much of the zeal of the past HAS languished, and the term zealot has come to be defined in an unbefitting manner that conveys a negative connotation, that zeal is still expected of us and should be an ever present and abiding part of the materials being used as we build our relationships, as we build our lives, our communities and our nations.

That zeal should be manifested through the remembrance of those sayings that were heard by the masses as the sermon on the mount was preached to them, and passed to us for our edification and education as well.

Each of those “building blocks” that were taught by Jesus in that dissertation, and in every session of his teachings are to be the blocks of our foundation.

Removal of any of those building blocks makes the foundation less firm, and less able to withstand the storms that are inevitable throughout life… each challenge, each temptation, each seeming set back, each perceived failure… all of which may be overcome by that firm foundation that can be built only on Christ Jesus, what he taught and preached and promised, beginning with the requirement for repentance  in exchange  for eternal  redemption given those who choose to have the faith and belief, not only in what He taught, but in WHO HE IS!

A cleft in a rock cliff was a place that no one and nothing could reach one using that hiding place, and is still commonly used and is still effective for that purpose in some situations.

The cleft that is lauded is within the bosom of the Rock Himself, far safer and far more unreachable by any danger than that of any natural rock formation.

The water and the blood which flowed from the side of our Savior the day of His crucifixion were, and are more than adequate as sacrifice to God for the covering of all sin, remaining far more than a double cure for any and all who accept that sacrifice as adequate, who accept the following resurrection as proof adequately given of the promise that is given of our own eventual resurrection as well.

The song states that no matter how many tears are shed, no matter how great the works that are accomplished, that these are incapable of providing atonement without the GRACE given by Jesus alone.

Reliance on that Grace, and the provider of that grace is an unshakable foundation that will indeed suffice to keep us from wrath and make us pure enough to become a part of his kingdom, experience the joy and wealth of being in the presence of our God.

There is no price, no offering that may be made by any, short of simple acceptance of the truth of the sacrifice already given, and a willingness to follow the precepts and teachings already left us by Him… the Foundation on which faith must be built.

The Way that leads to that foundation on solid Rock is shown in the Truth given us by that Rock.

The Life built on that foundation is one that is eternal.

Clinging to what was given on that cross, having faith in the One who gave a physical life to grant eternal life to all willing to have that faith, retaining that faith in the promise of the resurrection given through His resurrection, accepting the necessity for His continuous mediation on our behalf, accepting the redemption that has been offered by giving the required repentance assure that what is built is built on the foundation of that Rock.

Building on anything less is to build on the sand… and to accept the consequences of having done so as the storms approach and the false sense of security provided by substandard builders is demolished when the final storm brings the waves and winds that signify the futility of what was built as it implodes leaving only the wrath of that storm that is God’s alone for having chosen the wrong foundation.

The mighty fortress, impenetrable built on the Rock is available, not for lease or rent, or even for sale, but is freely given to any choosing simply to accept it.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen

The  Wayfarer