On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand

Where you stand on Christ will determine whether you fall or not.

The Solid Rock

The old hymn, Rock of Ages, refers to Jesus as a cleft for letting us hide in Him, “as the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure,” and it does purify us in God’s sight. The Apostle Paul says that it was “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Then there is the old hymn, The Solid Rock, which specifies that “on Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” Jesus spoke about those who build their house upon sinking sand, and those who build upon the Rock. In due time, all others will sink, but those who trust in the Rock shall never be disappointed (Rom 9:23, 10:11). Every other world religious leader of the past has died and is buried, and none ever claimed to be “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). None ever conquered the grave. The Scripture says, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). The wages of sin is death, but since Jesus never sinned, the grave couldn’t hold Him. It was just not possible.

Rock of Ages

When Jesus told the Jews that “before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:48-59), the Jews took up stones to try and kill Him. They were so angered because that was the covenantal name of God, but Jesus was telling them the truth. God made Himself know to Moses as, “I Am that I AM” (Ex 3:14), and interestingly, there are seven “I AM’s” in the Gospels which Jesus uses for Himself. Jesus would also forgive sins and that really irked them. That was something that only God could do, but Jesus as God could forgive sins, and He could also refer to Himself as “I AM,” because He was! And He is! He did exist before Abraham, but also in Abraham’s day. He is without beginning and without end. Jesus is God and since God is eternal, Jesus was before anything existed (John 1:-2). The Bible even says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). The Jews just could not accept that fact. When the Apostle Paul was referring to the children of Israel, and in the context of speaking of Christ, he wrote, “They all ate the same spiritual food and they all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Cor 10:3-4). This is He of which the Scriptures testify which “opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river” (Psalm 105:41).

Christ the Rock

We have already read that Christ was that Rock in ancient times, but there’s another reference to Jesus, where Jesus asks the chief priests and the elders, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Matt 21:42). After this, He adds as a warning, “the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him” (Matt 21:44). It’s like the relationship you might have had with Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia. Was he safe? It depends upon your relationship to him, and so it is with Jesus Christ. He isn’t safe if you haven’t repented and trusted in Him. If we choose to fall on this stone, we will be broken or crushed, but God saves the crushed and brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), however, that same Stone will fall upon those who reject Him, and that will be a crushing judgment from which no one will recover.

God our Rock

The psalmist understood what the Rock meant to him, writing, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). That’s why he could confidently say, “you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3).  Jesus tells us that if we build upon any other foundation, our house will fall. If you insist on going your own way, you will be “like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built” (Luke 6:48), so “the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:49).

Conclusion

There is no Man in history that has brought more change and more controversy to the world than Jesus Christ. He has caused many to be offended, but many others to be saved, but you might notice that Jesus spoke some very hard words to very hard hearts (i.e., Jewish religious leaders) but He spoke very soft words to very soft hearts (to the brokenhearted & repentant). Still today, He is willing to receive all that come to him. He says to you and to all, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30). Today is the best of days for you to be saved (2 Cor 6:2). Wait, and it could be too late (Heb 9:27). Put your trust in the Savior today and stand firm on that Solid Rock. That Rock which is Christ.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is a writer at Christian Quotes and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Christian Crier or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.