If you would, put your finger
in Exodus chapter 17, and then what Brother Matt read, 1 Corinthians
chapter 10. Exodus chapter 17, 1 Corinthians
chapter 10. The name of the message is, that
rock was Christ. That rock was Christ. Exodus
17, Verses one to seven, and all
the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
wilderness of sin after their journeys according to the commandment
of the Lord and pitched in Raphidim. And there was no water for the
people to drink. So the folks are, the Israelites
here, they're in the desert. And there's no water. No water at all. Wherefore the people did chide
with Moses and said, Give us water that we may drink. And
Moses said to them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do you
tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there
for water, and the people murmured against Moses and said, Wherefore
is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us
and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord,
saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready
to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders
of Israel, and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take
in thy hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come out of it there shall come water out of
it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel. And he called the place, he called
the name of the place, Massa and Meribah, because of the chiding
of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord,
saying, is the Lord among us or not? Now let us turn over
to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. We look at verses one, one to four. Moreover, brother, and I would
not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were
under the cloud and they all passed through the sea and were
all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did
eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink of the same spiritual
drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed
them in that rock. was Christ. So that rock was
a picture of Christ, the rock that the Lord told Moses to smite
was a picture of Christ. And we'll look at that today.
We'll look at that today. It was a picture of Christ. And
they and did all drink of the same spiritual drink for the
drink of that spiritual rock that followed them in that rock
was Christ. It is God, our father, who had
given us this rock. He's given us this rock, and
the rock that we have as believers is Christ. Were we not in a desert,
a wasteland, thirsting, even though we didn't know we were
thirsting? What happens when the Lord saves us too? We hunger
and thirst for righteousness, don't we? And where does the
water of life come from? Where is that hunger and thirst
for righteousness quenched? Only in Christ. Only in Christ. Nowhere else. Well, nowhere else. You don't want me to get up here
and preach about how to live a better life, do you? Because
that doesn't do us any good, does it? The Word teaches us
that. We want to hear about Christ.
We want to hear about our Savior. We want to hear about our Redeemer.
We who are redeemed. We hunger and thirst after righteousness. This is the one we want to hear
about. This is the reason we gather to hear about Christ and
Him alone. Are not all the graces of the
Holy Ghost like rivers of living water flowing to us in and through
Christ Jesus our Lord? Are they not like that? All the
graces that come to us, are they not like rivers of water that
flow through Christ to us? Turn, if you would, to John chapter
7. John chapter 7. And then put your finger in John
chapter 4 as well. Oh, the graces of God that flow
to us through Christ. Look at John chapter 7, verses
37 to 39. In that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto
me and drink. Are you thirsty? Are you thirsty for Christ? If
you're not, I pray God will make it so. Because that's what he's
done for we who are redeemed. He's made us hunger and thirst
after Christ. There was a time when we didn't.
I've talked to many of you here. We who are redeemed. We didn't
hunger and thirst after Christ, did we? We were doing our own
thing, had no care. But now, we hunger and thirst
after righteousness. He's given us that desire. It's
God who's given us that desire. In that last day of the great
feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let
him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the
scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water. But this he spake, but this spake
he of the Spirit. which they that believe on him
should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because
that Jesus was not yet glorified. And then turn over to John chapter
4, verse 14. Remember the lady at the well? She went there to
get some natural water, didn't she? She had no idea that she
had a divine appointment with God incarnate in the flesh. She
had no idea. And look at what our Lord says
to her in verse 14. And he's speaking of that water
that he gives. If you drink natural water, you'll
thirst again. That's what he was telling her. Look what he says in verse 14.
But whosoever drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst. But that water that I give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life. Oh, what a Savior. What a Redeemer is Jesus Christ
our Lord. Go back to Exodus chapter 17
if you would. The first point I'd like us to
consider in that rock was Christ, is the rock is in a dry and barren
place. It's in a dry and barren place. Exodus 17, verse 6. Behold, I
will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou
shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that
the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel. Now, Horeb means desert. It means
desert. It's a dry, empty, barren place. It's a dry, empty, barren place. Strong's defines it as desolate. So here they are, the Israelites,
in a dry, barren, desolate place. And this pictures, the rock that's
there pictures Christ in a dry and barren place. The Israelites
were in the wilderness. All around them, it was barren. It was barren. Now think of the
Lord when he left the glories and splendors of heaven. He left the glories and splendors
of heaven and came to this world. It would be like a desolate place
for him. And see, there's a rock there
which pictures Christ in a dry, barren, desolate place. And when he came to this world,
he was in a dry, barren, desolate place. So the Israelites looked at this
rock, and it looked like a hopeless
hope. Little did they know that God was going to perform a miracle
right before them. He was going to perform a miracle
right before them. Now think of this too, that rock
was a native of the desert, right? That rock that Moses... It was
a native of that desert. It did not look different from
any of the other rocks that they'd passed or any other rocks in
the desert, did it? It looked no different, did it?
No different at all. Turn if you would to Isaiah chapter
53. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, did not stand out among
men. He looked like any other man.
And we know that because the scriptures declare that. He didn't
come in pomp and circumstance, did he? His coming wasn't announced. It was announced by angels to
shepherds, but it wasn't the who's who of the religious world
who announced that he was coming. No. Not at all. But the Lord Jesus Christ didn't
stand out amongst men. He looked like any other man.
But yet he was the God. God incarnate in the flesh. Look
at Isaiah chapter 53, verse two, for he shall grow up before him
as a tender plant and as a root of the dry ground. He hath no
form nor calmliness. And when we shall see him, there's
no beauty that we should desire him. He didn't stand out, beloved.
He wasn't the most beautiful man in the world, books wise. But oh, the God man, he's the
God man meeting. My goodness, you remember the
lady at the well? She didn't even know who he was.
She knew he was a Jew, but she had no idea that the Messiah
was right there in front of her. No idea at all. He didn't stand
out amongst men, but when he reveals himself, then we know
him, don't we? And then he's more beautiful
than anyone else. He's more beautiful than anyone
else. Oh my. Listen to what the Lord said
to the lady at the well. Jesus answered her and said unto her,
if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that say to thee,
give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him and he would
have given thee living water. That's John 4 10. She had no
idea. He looked like anyone else. Oh my. Just like that rock didn't
look like it was just a rock in the eyes of the Israelites.
Look like any of the other rocks. Just look like any of the other
ones. Turn, if you would, to John chapter 1. Remember what
Nathanael said to Philip about Christ? And here this shows us
that he looked no different than anyone else. But Nathanael makes
a comment here about the Lord coming out of Nazareth. And look
at this. John chapter 1, verse 45 and 46. Nathaniel said this to Philip
about Christ. John, chapter one, verses forty
five and forty six, Philip find that Nathaniel and saith unto
him, We have found him of whom Moses, of whom Moses and the
law and the prophets did right. Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph, Nathaniel said, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and
see. Come and see. Oh, beloved, and
you remember, turn, if you would, the Matthew chapter 26, Judas
kissed the Lord to show to show the soldiers that were with him
who Christ was. He looked like everyone else.
He was a normal looking man. Look at Matthew, chapter 26. Matthew, chapter 26. Verses 48 to 50. Now he that betrayed him gave
them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same as he,
hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus,
and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him,
friend, wherefore art thou come? Then they came and laid hands
on Jesus and took him. They didn't know who he was until
Judas kissed him. He looked like just a normal,
a normal man. So there was no, there was nothing
in him, like the scripture says, that stood out, that stood out. And remember the tabernacle,
when they pitched the tabernacle in the wilderness, it was just
like the other buildings, but inside it was full of pure gold.
Well, what does that picture? Well, that picture's God. God incarnate in the flesh, beloved.
Outside looks just like a normal man, but inside, oh, inside,
he's the God-man, beloved. He's the God-man. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
chapter 42. Isaiah chapter 42. In Exodus, Moses is told to go
to a rock and smite it. I'll read Exodus 17, six again.
He says, behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock. In or out and out shall smite
the rock and there shall come water out of it and the people
may drink that the people may drink, and Moses did so in the
sight of the elders of Israel. This rock was chosen by God.
This rock was chosen by God. Look at Isaiah, chapter 42, verses
one to four. Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I have put my spirit upon him.
He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not
cry nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed shall he not break. The smoking flax shall he not
quench. He shall bring forth judgment
unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he has
set judgment in the earth. And the isle shall wait for his
law. Look at verse one. Behold, my servant, whom I uphold,
mine elect. We are chosen in Christ. We are
chosen. This speaks of Christ. This speaks
of Christ. God is only pleased with Christ. God is only pleased with Christ. And he's only pleased with us
in Christ. In Christ. That's it. That's the only one who's pleasing
to God is Christ and Christ alone. After the baptism of Christ,
God proclaimed, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. In whom I am well pleased. Behold
my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect. You remember a body was
prepared for Christ? A body was prepared for him. Oh my. Christ, the chosen servant
of God, the God-man, God incarnate in the flesh, Emmanuel, God with
us. The only Redeemer for sinners.
The only Savior for sinners. If you're here trying to save
yourself, you're perishing your sins. If you die, you sin. There's only one Savior. There's
only one Redeemer. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ
in Him alone. He's a Savior, why? Because He
rescues us. Do you need to be rescued? I love that song. I need you. I don't just need the Lord. Now
I need him all the time. I need him every second. Do you? I pray God to make it so if it
isn't for you. Oh my. We need him. He rescues his people from the
penalty of our sins. He rescues his people from the
wrath and justice of God, which fell upon him. The wrath and
justice of God. Now think of this beloved of
God. The wrath and justice of God that was due you and I, we
who are redeemed, that was due us, fell upon our blessed Savior. He took it all. He fully bore
it. That was deserved for me. If
you're one of his people, that was deserved for you. And he
took it all. Has anyone loved you more than
I've ever? I know my mom and dad love me,
and I know my wife loves me and my children, but no one's loved
me like that. No one's loved me to take all
that God that I earned by my sin. He took it all. He rescued me. Rejoice you who are the redeemed
of the Lord. He rescued you. He rescued you. The justice and wrath of God
fell upon him in our place. And how are we purchased? By
his precious blood. The life of the flesh is in the
blood. What does he do? He gives up his life. for us. What a Savior. What a Redeemer. And this was all planned and
purposed for maternity. This was all planned and purposed
for maternity. Oh my. That rock was chosen by
God and Christ is God's servant, His elect. To whom my soul delighteth,
God delights in Christ. Turn, if you would, to 1 Peter
1. 1 Peter 1, verses 18-21. Now, we're
not redeemed by corruptible things, are we, such as silver and gold?
All the gold in the world cannot pay for your soul. All the gold
in the world cannot pay for one of your sins, nor one of mine.
But all the believer, our hope, our rest is in Christ, in Christ
alone, the great Redeemer. The great Savior. Look at this
wonderful Scripture in 1 Peter 1, verses 18-21. For as much as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.
Oh, but how were we redeemed, beloved? But with the precious,
the precious, the precious blood. But with the precious blood of
Christ. is of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. He's perfect. He's sinless. All
we are is sin. And He's the perfect, spotless
Lamb of God who dies for His people. We're redeemed. We're
purchased with the blood of Christ. He purchased us. Remember last
week? He was born to die, beloved. And He purchases us with His
own precious blood. But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who
verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
all planned and purposed by God, but was manifest in these last
times for you. Oh, does that not warm our hearts,
beloved? For me. The believer says, for me. That's
me. That's me. Oh, who by Him do
believe in God that raised Him up from the dead and gave Him
glory, that your faith and your hope might be in God. Is your
faith and hope in God? Is your faith and hope in Christ
alone? Have you cast away all other
hopes for the salvation of your soul? Oh, the believer says, yeah,
Christ is my only hope. Christ is my only rest. Oh, my. Let's go back to Exodus chapter
17, verse six. In Exodus 17, six, the Lord tells
Moses he will stand upon the rock. Now, this picture is God
in Christ, God in Christ. Look at Exodus 17, verse 6. Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink.
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. This
pictures, beloved, this pictures God incarnate in the flesh. God in Christ. Go to John 14. Jesus Christ is the God. He's
God incarnate in the flesh. Fully man, but yet fully God,
it's called a hypostatic union by theologians. It just means
he's the God. He's the God. Look at John, chapter 14. Starting in verse 5, and we'll
go to verse 11. Thomas saith unto him, Lord,
we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
Now, the Lord had just told them that he's going to prepare a
place for them, that let not their hearts be troubled. He's
going to go and prepare a place for them. Look at verse 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. If ye had known me, ye should
have known my father also, and from henceforth ye know him,
and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord,
show us the father, and it suffices us. So Thomas asked him where
he's going, and how can we know the way? Now Philip asked him,
see, they're flesh. The disciples are mere humans
like you and I. Philip say unto him, Lord, show
us the Father, and it suffices us. Jesus saith unto him, Have
I been so long with you, and yet thou hast not known me, Philip?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. And how sayest thou,
Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth
in me. He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father,
in the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works
sake. God incarnate in the flesh. God incarnate in the flesh. The
next point I'd like us to consider is this. The rock was full of
unseen blessings. It was in an unlikely place in
the eyes of man. It looked like any other rock
to the Israelites. If you and I were there, we would
have said it's just a rock. It doesn't look like any other.
It looks the same as any other rock. Wouldn't we? We would have. We have to be
honest with ourselves. We'd be just like these rocks. We would
be. But this rock is full of unseen
blessings, and these blessings are in an unlikely place in the
eyes of the man. The Israelites would wonder,
can any good thing come out of a rock? It's a stone. It's a
stone. As one grace preacher said, one
grace preacher of old said, if you do business with God, you
must do it with the son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in him alone. In him alone. Remember again,
let's go back to John chapter one. Remember Nathaniel? Asked
Philip, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Remember he
asked that? The Israelites could be saying, we're dying of thirst. You're gonna hit a rock? Oh my. Look at John chapter one,
verses 43 to 51. The day following, Jesus would
go forth into Galilee and find a Philip and saith unto him,
follow me. Now Philip was of the city of
Andrew and Peter. Philip find Nathanael and saith
unto him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and the
prophets did right. There's proof that the Old Testament
speaks and testifies of Christ, right? Because the law and the
prophets wrote of Christ, they spoke of Christ. Jesus of Nazareth,
the son of Joseph. And Nathanael saith unto him,
Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Nazareth. Philip saith unto him,
Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to
him, and saith unto him, Behold, and it is right, indeed, in whom
is no guile. Nathanael saith unto him, Whence
knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto
him before that filleth called thee when thou was under the
fig tree I saw thee. Now some commentators speculate
that Nathanael was praying or speaking to God about something
under a fig tree. Nathanael answered and saith
unto him rabbi thou art the son of God thou art the king of Israel. So the Lord tells him, when thou
was under the fig tree, I saw him. And Nathanael answered and
said unto him, look at the rabbi, thou art the son of God, thou
art the king of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto
him, because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree,
thou shall see greater things than these. And he saith unto
him, verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven
open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of
man. Just before that, though. Nathaniel had said in verse forty
six, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? And then
he says in verse forty nine, Rabbi, thou art the son of God,
thou art the king of Israel. What a change. What a change. He has had revealed to him by
the Holy Ghost who the Lord Jesus Christ is. He is the one whom
John said is full of grace and truth. He is the one by whom
all of God's spiritual blessings for the believer flow. They are
in Him, in Him alone. Only in Christ are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And the believer in Christ has
been blessed by God through Christ. And we have all that we need
in Him. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3,
I won't have you turn there, I'll read it. It says, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. All spiritual blessings are in
Christ. And if you read the first chapter
of Ephesians, you'll see that Paul brings forth the sovereign
acts of God the Father, his personal acts of grace and love, in choosing
the church in Christ, predestinating them to the adoption of children
by Christ, and accepting the church in Christ, all to the
praise of the glory of His grace, and all because He desired to
do so. So let us remember that the glorious
acts of God the Father are all said to be the result of His
own good pleasure and will. And so they are declared. be
before the foundation of the world, all according to his sovereign
will. If you're sitting here, say today,
if you're one of the redeemed of the Lord, it is only because
God the Father chose you in Christ. In eternity. Because it pleased
him to do so in that wonderful. In that wonderful that he didn't
leave us. That we were one of the ones
that he chose in eternity. Boy, that's enough to keep us
going for a long, long time, isn't it? When trials come and
tribulations come, God chose me and God keeps me. God chose me, God redeemed me,
and God keeps me. We are blessed, blessed. Beyond
measure, can you measure the blessings of the salvation that
we have in Christ, of the grace that we've received in Christ?
Can we even begin to plumb the line? No, we can't, can we? We can't. Oh, my beloved, we
are so blessed. So blessed, all in and through
Christ, because all spiritual blessings are in Him. They're
nowhere else. Nowhere else. And to think that
before the Lord saved us, we had no idea. We had no idea of who he was.
We had a God of our own imagination, didn't we? But we had no idea
who the holy God of the universe was. But now that he's revealed
himself, we say along with Nathaniel, he's my Lord and my God. Oh my
beloved. Let's consider our next point.
Let's go back to Exodus chapter 17, verse six. The rock was smitten,
beloved. The rock was smitten. The rock was smitten. All the wonderful redemption
that we have through Christ and Him alone only comes through the shedding
of His precious blood. He was smitten for us. Look at
Exodus 17, verse 6. Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock in Horeb, And thou shalt smite the rock. And there shall come water out
of it that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight
of the elders of Israel. Thou shalt smite the rock. Turn, if you would, to Zechariah
chapter 13, verse 7. And then put your finger in John
chapter 12. Zechariah 13, verse 7, and John 12. Christ is pictured
in that rock, being smitten by God for His people. Look at Zechariah
13, verse 7. Remember earlier I said that
the wrath and justice of God didn't fall upon us, even though
we justly deserved it? That it fell upon Christ? Look
at this amazing verse here. Zechariah 13, 7. Awake, O sword. The sword of God's justice. Awake, O sword. Now that sword should justly
fall upon me because I'm the sinner. But O Christ, redeem
me by His precious blood. Look at this. Awake, O sword
against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow. Saith
the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd and the sheep shall
be scattered and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
The sword of God's justice was unseen and it was plunged into
Christ. And the believer says, for me. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow, sayeth the Lord of hosts,
smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered, and I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones. Now turn over to John,
chapter 12, verse 23. And remember, in Exodus 17, 6,
it said, smite the rock. That pictured God smiting Christ,
God's justice and wrath falling upon Christ for the sins of His
people. The sinless one, the perfect,
spotless Lamb of God dying for His people. Look at John chapter 12 verses
23 and 24. Jesus answered them saying, the
hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except the corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. This is speaking of the death
of Christ. Corn of wheat, singular. This is speaking of Christ. So
we know that the rock that was smitten by a rod in Exodus chapter
17 pictured Christ being smitten for his people. The sinless, perfect, spotless
Lamb of God smitten as our substitute in the place of his people. Why? So that God's justice and wrath
would be satisfied. And God's justice and wrath must
be satisfied either in you or in the substitute. And the believer falls to the
ground in awe that Christ died for me. That that was what justly do
me, justly do we who are the redeemed, the disobedient ones,
the sinful ones. That was what justly do us, fell upon. the sinless, spotless
Lamb of God. He was born to die, beloved.
Remember that? We looked at that. And I ask you, when we ponder
these truths, cannot our heart, we who are
redeemed, not cry out anything else but what a wonderful Savior.
What a merciful Savior. God's mercy and grace has been given to us. And the wrath that was due me
fell upon him. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. That's speaking of his people. How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? So the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered up for his people. Romans 8, verse 32. He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Christ was smitten
for the sins of his people, delivered up by God, for us, born to die. And the believer
proclaims, wonder of wonders, Christ died for me. The next point I'd like us to
consider is this, that the rock gave out its treasures only after
it was smitten. Water only flowed from that rock
after it was smitten. It just looked like a rock before. But after that rock was smitten,
beloved waters just flowed from it. Waters flowed from it. Christ has obtained eternal life
for his people, beloved by his death upon the cross, and he
gives it to his people. He gives eternal life to his
people. He obtained eternal life by His death upon the cross.
Turn, if you would, to Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9,
verse 12. He has obtained it by the shedding
of His blood. And, beloved, it is eternal redemption
because Scripture declares it's eternal. And this is wonderful for the
believer. Because if it was up to us, it
wouldn't be eternal. Well, we'd mess it up all the
time anyways. But salvation in Christ is eternal. Redemption by Christ is eternal. It's eternal redemption. Look
at this in Hebrews chapter 9. Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. There's another one of those
hinge words, having. He obtained it. He obtained it
for who? For us. For his people. Having obtained, what is it?
Eternal redemption. Eternal salvation. It's wonderful,
God. We are chosen in Him, adopted
in Him, justified in Him, and by Him, sanctified in Him, redeemed
by Him, and one day we will be glorified. And that'll be by
Him, too. And then we'll be in His presence
forever. And we will cry, salvation's
over, Lord. It's all His doing. It's all
His doing. Now let us consider the last
point. Go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. The rock followed
them. They drank of that rock that
followed them. And there was no more thirst
in the wilderness, beloved. And think of that for us, we
who are in this world. We hunger and thirst for righteousness,
and that righteousness is quenched in Christ, and in Christ alone. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 4, And
did all drink the same spiritual rock, for they drank of that
spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Now we don't know the path the
Lord has for us through this life, do we? We who are redeemed. But we know that it is He who
keeps us. And we know that it is He who
provides for us. And just as water came out of
that rock in the desert, we drink from the spiritual rock. The same one that rock pictured
in that rock is Christ. And let us always remember that
one of the names of our great God is Jehovah Jireh. And He will always provide for
His people. He will always provide for His
people. He provides all we need, beloved.
He provides all we need. We need to be saved. He's provided
the substitute, the only way to God, the Lord Jesus Christ
who saved His people from their sins by dying on Calvary's cross. And the believer in Christ proclaims
That He is the One who took my place. He's the One who took
my place before God's justice. He's the One who took my place
before God's law. He's the One who satisfied God's
law for me. He's the One who lived the perfect
life that I could never live. For me, as my substitute. He paid all that God demanded
for us, didn't He? It was Him. For my sins, for
your sins, beloved of God. He is born to die, and what did
He do? He died for His people, didn't He? He died for His people. So let us think of the necessity
of the great substitute. None of us could save ourselves.
None of us could save ourselves. But the Lord Jesus Christ has
saved His people from their sins by dying upon the cross, by shedding
His precious blood for us. And we saw that he has obtained
eternal redemption for us, for his people, hasn't he? He's done
it. The work is finished. We rest
in that, don't we? It's so freeing, isn't it? It's
so liberating. We who came out of works-based
religion, it was always do, do, do. Now it's done. We look to
the Savior. We look to the one who finished
the work, the one who has obtained eternal redemption for us. My. And he did it by dying on the
cross. God himself provides a lamb. God himself, just as he provided
a lamb to sacrifice for Abraham in the place of Isaac, his name
is the Lord Jesus Christ. The perfect spotless lamb of
God. Is he your savior? Is He your Savior? Has He shown you that you're
a sinner? Because every one of us in this room is a sinner. Everyone who hears this message
is a sinner. Has God shown you that you're
a sinner? Do you need Him? We sang that song. And the believer
says, I need you, Lord. I need you every hour. I need
you every second. I need you all the time. Do you need him? You never come to him until you
see your need for him. Oh, I pray that he'll reveal
himself to you. And I pray that He shows you
your desperate need for Him, because every one of us who are
redeemed in this room have been shown our need for Christ. And our hope is that God would
show you your need for Christ if you don't know Him. Let we who are the redeemed of
the Lord, let us praise God for His wonderful provision. that
we have, that all we need is found in
Christ, who is the rock of our salvation. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus
Christ. Gracious Heavenly Father, we
thank Thee for this time. We thank Thee for the wonderful
picture of the Lord Jesus Christ that we looked at in the Old
Testament. Again, Lord, we pray that you would fill the hearts
of your people with joy. That we would ponder the wonderful
redemption that we have in and through you, Lord Jesus. And
the fact that you did. That you bore all the wrath of
God that was deserved us. That you paid for it all. And
that you cried, it is finished. Oh, praise you for those words.
Praise you for those words. It is finished. May you be glorified
and magnified through the preaching of your word. In Jesus' name,
amen.