“CHRIST OUR ROCK OF AGES” - Sermon Outlines. Org



“CHRIST OUR ROCK OF AGES”

ISAIAH 28:16

INTRO: The Word of God presents for us the person and work of Jesus Christ

by using various types and figures of speech. These God-given

designations set forth for us Christ’s true character and nature and

declare His unique relationship to the world, the believer, and to the

Church.

It thrills our hearts to learn from God’s Word that Jesus is “the Light

of the world,” “the door” into the sheepfold, “the Bread of life,” “the

Good Shepherd,” and “the Resurrection and the Life.” The Scripture

teaches us that He is all these things and even more!

Our text says He is also “the Rock” who never changes! Matthew

Henry said, “Here is a promise of Christ, as the only foundation of

hope for escaping the wrath to come. This foundation was laid in Zion,

in the eternal counsels of God. This foundation is a stone, firm and

able to support his church. It is a tried stone, a chosen stone,

approved of God, and never failed any who made trial of it. A corner

stone, binding together the whole building, and bearing the whole

weight; precious in the sight of the Lord, and of every believer; a sure

foundation on which to build. And he who in any age or nation shall

believe this testimony, and rest all his hopes, and his never-dying

soul on this foundation, shall never be confounded.” (MATTHEW HENRY’S

COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE CONDENSED VERSION by Matthew Henry. The Master

Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).

I want to speak this morning on CHRIST OUR ROCK OF AGES. D. L.

Moody said, “Take your stand on the Rock of Ages. Let death let the

judgment come. The victory is Christ’s and yours through Him.”

(PEARLS FROM MANY SEAS by J. B. McClure, editor. The Master Christian Library. Version

5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR). Note with me today four things

about CHRIST OUR ROCK OF AGES. Let us see first that…

(1) CHRIST IS OUR TRIED ROCK OF AGES

ISAIAH 28:16a—“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion

for a foundation a stone, a tried stone…”

A. HIS TESTING. The word tried means “to put to the test, to prove.” Jesus,

The Son of God, was subjected to every kind of trial and temptation known

to man. In fact, Hebrews 4:14-16 encourages us in the face of our own

trials—“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the

heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have

not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;

but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore

come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find

grace to help in time of need.” Christ successfully endured every trial and

every temptation thus proving that He was the eternal Son of God and was

therefore worthy of man’s faith and devotion.

B. HIS TRIALS. Our Lord faced some severe trials on His journey to the

Cross for us. He faced three major trials on this journey:

• CHRIST WAS TRIED IN THE WILDERNESS (MATTHEW 4:1-11; LUKE 4:1-13). Satan tried to get Christ to put aside His purpose, presume on God’s provision, and partner with Satan’s plan. But look how our Lord met each of these challenges. He met them with the Word of God. To Satan’s temptation to put aside His purpose, Jesus said, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4:7), to Satan’s temptation to presume on God’s provision, Jesus declared, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4), and to Satan’s temptation to partner with Satan’s plan, Jesus announced, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matthew 4:10).

• CHRIST WAS TRIED IN THE WORLD. In Pilate’s court he faced a trial marked by great abuse (John 19:1-3), a trial that showed the great strength of Jesus (John 19:10-11), and a trial that exposed the moral weakness of Pilate (Luke 23:20-25). Pilate is an interesting figure. He was a man of authority and yet he lacked the moral convictions to stand up for what he believed to be true about Jesus—“I find not fault in him”.

• CHRIST HAS BEEN TRIED BY THE HEARTS OF MEN. Consider the testimony of those who have encountered Jesus along life’s pathway:

1. CHRIST WAS TRIED IN THE HEART OF JUDAS. Listen to Judas’ words after his betrayal of Jesus—“I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood…” (Matthew 27:4).

2. CHRIST WAS TRIED IN THE HEART OF PILATE’S WIFE. Her testimony is one of fear and hopeless—“Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” (Matthew 27:19).

3. CHRIST WAS TRIED IN THE HEART OF THE CENTURION. This rugged Roman soldier declared—“Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54).

4. CHRIST HAS BEEN TRIED IN MY OWN HEART. I have placed my faith in Him and His blessed Word and…

• He has proven to be my Saviour (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

• He has proven to be my Leader (John 10:27; Psalm 23).

• He has proven to be my Companion (Hebrews 13:5b-6).

CHRIST IS OUR TRIED ROCK OF AGES but also…

(2) CHRIST IS OUR PRECIOUS ROCK OF AGES

ISAIAH 28:16b—“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion

for a foundation a stone… a precious corner stone…”

A. THE PERMANENCE OF OUR ROCK OF AGES. He is called here “a

precious corner stone”. The cornerstone is what gives strength to the

foundation and also makes the build square. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians

3:11—“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is

Jesus Christ.” There can be no other ground of confidence for the

justification, sanctification and salvation of men. (AN EXPOSITION OF I

CORINTHIANS by Charles Hodge. The Master Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES

Software. Albany, OR).

B. THE PRECIOUSNESS OF OUR ROCK OF AGES. Not only is our ROCK OF

AGES permanent but He is also precious. It says here—“a precious corner

stone.” Peter declares in 1 Peter 2:7a—“Unto you therefore which believe he

is precious…”. How is He precious? :

• HE IS PRECIOUS IN HIS PARDON. In Jeremiah 33:8 we are told He is the One who pardons all our iniquities—“And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.” He has taken away our sin debt and now we stand redeemed before God because of the blood of His Cross. (Ephesians 1:7).

• HE IS PRECIOUS IN HIS PEACE. Jesus said in John 14:27—“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” It is the:

1. PEACE OF GOD—SUBJECTIVE. This means we enjoy peace within. God’s peace rules and reigns in our hearts no matter what is taking place around us.

2. PEACE WITH GOD—OBJECTIVE. This means we enjoy peace from without. We rest in God’s promises. We are at peace with Him and He is at peace with us.

• HE IS PRECIOUS IN HIS PROMISE. Our Lord and Saviour has never broken a promise and He never will! He has promised—“… I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

CHRIST IS OUR TRIED ROCK OF AGES, CHRIST IS OUR PRECIOUS ROCK OF AGES and…

(3) CHRIST IS OUR REJECTED ROCK OF AGES

1 PETER 2:6-8—“Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I

lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

A. HIS PERSON IS REJECTED BY THE MODERNIST. Friends, there is an

attack today being waged on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. His deity

is being called into question. What better way for man to relinquish his

responsibility to God than to relegate the One who died for him to a lower

position than His Word declares? The book of Hebrews tell us the

consequences of this—“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he

be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath

counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy

thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29). The

blood of the covenant means here the sacrificial death of Christ, by which

the new covenant between God and man was ratified, sealed, and

confirmed. And counting this unholy, or common, koinon, intimates that

they expected nothing from it in a sacrificial or atoning way. How near to

those persons, and how near to their destruction, do they come in the

present day who reject the atoning blood, and say, “that they expect no

more benefit from the blood of Christ than they do from that of a cow or a

sheep!” (CLARKE’S COMMENTARY NT, VOLUME 6B: I THESS. – REVELATION by Adam Clarke. The

Master Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR). Peter here in

1 Peter 2:7b says—“… but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which

the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone

of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word,

being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

B. HIS POSITION IS REJECTED BY THE BACKSLIDER. A backslider is a

person whose focus in not right and whose faith is not right. According to

Proverbs 14:14—“The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own

ways…”. Friends, we have many backsliders in our Churches today. Why?

Because they are rejecting the POSITION of the Lord. Jesus asked in Luke

6:46—“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Friends, God judges us not by our words but by our works. It's scary to

realize that most of the people who failed in Scriptures failed in the second

half of their lives. (Joe Aldrich, Leadership, Vol. 13, no. 3). The Latin root of

"authority" and "authentic" means "that which allows growth and life." Our

resentment of the authority of God in Christ is, therefore, foolish. (Diogenes

Allen in Quest: The Search for Meaning through Christ. Christianity Today,

Vol. 40, no. 7). Believer, when you reject the authority of Christ in your life

you are playing the role of the fool!

C. HIS PARDON IS REJECTED BY THE UNBELIEVER. The blood of Jesus

Christ has provided for man’s pardon and forgiveness of whosoever will

trust in Him (Ephesians 1:7). The lost are invited to come to the Lord. In

Isaiah 55:6-7—“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him

While he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man

His thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon

him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” But sadly, many reject

Christ’s free pardon from sin. Jesus told a group of unbelievers in John 5:

40—“And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Christ is the only

Way of eternal life and yet many will not come unto Him, believe in Him,

and receive God’s gift of grace.

CHRIST IS OUR TRIED ROCK OF AGES, CHRIST IS OUR PRECIOUS ROCK OF AGES, CHRIST IS OUR REJECTED ROCK OF AGES and lastly…

(4) CHRIST IS OUR SECURED ROCK OF AGES

ISAIAH 28:16c—“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion

for a foundation a stone… a sure foundation: he that believeth shall

not make haste.”

A. HIS WORD IS SECURE. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:89—“For ever,

O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” Isaiah 40:8 tells us—“The grass

withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

God’s Word has forever been established in Heaven. Jesus said in Matthew

24:35—“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass

away.” Someone has said, “Time can take nothing from the Bible. Like the

sun, it is the same in its light and influence to man this day which it was

ages ago.” — CECIL. (PEARLS FROM MANY SEAS by J. B. McClure, editor. The Master

Christian Library. Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).

B. HIS SALVATION IS SECURE. We rest, as believers, on the ROCK of His

finished work. According to His Word, we are sealed (Ephesians 4:30),

secured (Romans 8:35-39), and we should be satisfied (Psalm 107:8-9).

C. HIS CHURCH IS SECURE. The Church is built upon the ROCK, Jesus

Christ (Matthew 16:18), blessed by the ROCK (Ephesians 3:20-21), and

bound to the ROCK (MATTHEW 28:18-20).

CLOSING: Friends, Christ is our rock of ages. CHRIST IS OUR TRIED

ROCK OF AGES, CHRIST IS OUR PRECIOUS ROCK OF AGES,

CHRIST IS OUR REJECTED ROCK OF AGES, and CHRIST IS OUR

SECURED ROCK OF AGES.

The question this morning is, “Is your soul anchored to the blessed

Rock of Ages? Is He your Saviour today?” If not, you need to come

anchor your life on Him because He will keep you stable in this

unstable world in which we live.

Believer, “Are you guilty of rejecting the ROCK OF AGES’ authority

in your life?” If so, you need to come submit your will to His will so

that you can be all that He desires you to be!

PREPARED BY BROTHER BRYAN L. BROWNING, PASTOR OF BEECHMONT BAPTIST CHURCH, BEECHMONT, KY FOR SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 10, 2008.

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