That Rock Was Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about Christ as the rock?

The Bible refers to Christ as the spiritual rock that provides life, as illustrated in 1 Corinthians 10:4. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, it is stated that the Israelites drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and this rock was Christ. This symbolism emphasizes the idea that Christ is the source of spiritual sustenance and life for His people, akin to how water sustains physical life. The rock being smitten in Exodus serves as a representation of Christ’s sacrifice, where His afflictions lead to the provision of life-giving water to a thirsty people, symbolizing the grace and sustenance given to believers.

Q: How do we know that the rock in Exodus represents Christ?

The Apostle Paul explicitly states that the rock was Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Paul makes a clear connection between the rock struck by Moses in the wilderness and Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:4. This connection draws attention to the Old Testament events as types and shadows pointing towards Christ’s redemptive work. Just as the rock provided water to the Israelites when it was smitten, Christ was also smitten and crucified, leading to the spiritual life that flows from Him to all who believe. The historical account of water coming from the rock is thus understood as a foreshadowing of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, further solidifying this typological link.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand Jesus as the rock?

Understanding Jesus as the rock is vital, as He is the source of spiritual life and sustenance for believers. Recognizing Jesus as the rock highlights His role as the foundation of our faith and the source of spiritual nourishment. Christ fulfills the needs of thirsty souls, as depicted in John 4:14 where He promises living water that provides eternal life. For Christians, this understanding solidifies the assurance that in a spiritually dry land, Christ is their refuge and the wellspring of grace. Through Him, believers find satisfaction and strength amidst trials, showcasing the profound love and provision of God for His people. This metaphor of Christ as the rock also emphasizes His permanence in the face of life's storms.

Open your Bibles with me to Exodus chapter 17. Exodus 17, I ask you to follow along with me in these first seven verses. Verse one, 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 Rephidim.

And there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore, the people did chide. We don't use that word. It means to strive, to complain, to debate. And that can come across in two ways. That can come by word or that can come by physical actions. And we see that's what's happening.

They begin to chide with Moses. And they said, give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to him, he said, why chide you with me? Wherefore do you tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured against Moses and they said, wherefore is this that thou brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us and to kill our children and to kill 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 water that the people may drink.

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel, and he called the name of the place Mesa and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, because they tempted the Lord, saying, is the Lord among us or not? Now here we read again, the children of Israel, they had journeyed, they had been on this journey from the wilderness of sin and they pitched in this place called Rephidim. And if you look that up, it means a resting place, a place of rest. And we read there was no water there and the people, They began to murmur and complain, no water for the people, no water for the children, no water for the cattle.

And they did what we do. They murmured. They complained. They found fault. Isn't that just a clear picture of us by nature? You know, only Adam's race could find a reason to murmur and complain in a place of rest, of all places. That's no accident that place was named that. Our evil heart. The book of Jeremiah, we read that the heart is deceitful above all things. Desperately, desperately wicked. Who can know it? murmuring, complaining, finally fought in a place of rest.

No wonder the apostle Paul wrote that, oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And you know, at first glance, I think we read these things and I know I do, and I think, boy, this is an awful bunch of people. They're terrible, aren't they? But you know the apple never falls too far from the tree, does it?

Israel's unbelief, their lack of gratitude, their inability to see God's goodness, to see God's faithfulness. I don't like it. but I sure can relate to it. I can certainly see it. I can certainly see it in myself. In this flesh, in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. Just think of a few things.

The children of Israel, they had been delivered from Egypt. They had been brought out of bondage. They were slaves. And the Lord was pleased to go down there and bring them out. He heard their cry, didn't he? And he sent Moses down there to bring them out, to deliver them. Certainly, they had to remember that. Certainly, they had to reflect back upon that from time to time.

They're firstborn. That morning, that morning after the Passover, they ran into the bedroom or the living room or wherever their firstborn was, and they were alive. There was a cry that went out throughout all the land of Egypt, such as never had been heard. But in their homes, under the blood, there was peace, there was safety, there was life.

And they, listen, that wasn't just a one-time thing. They remembered that every year, didn't they? The sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over their houses, passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians. They had seen the hand of God at the Red Sea.

I imagine, I imagine every one of them that had been brought through the Red Sea and probably a few others that weren't even there on that day probably retold that story with a lot of, they were happy to tell it, weren't they? Probably told it, I would think they'd have told it the rest of their lives. We sit around the house sometimes and we retell stories and sometimes they get better and better every time they're told. And sometimes we include people that weren't even there, right, to take part of it. They had never seen anything like that before. They had been brought through the Red Sea. They walked on dry ground. There was no mud on their shoes. A wall of water on each side of them. And when they got through, when they passed through to the other side, and you read this later in Exodus 15, they sang a song about it.

They said, I'll sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord, he's my strength, and he is my song. He is become my salvation. He's my God, and I'll prepare him an habitation. My Father's God, I'll exalt him. The Lord God is a, he's a man of war. The Lord is his names. Pharaoh and his chariots he has cast into the sea. All of Pharaoh's chosen captains cast into the sea. All of his captains drowned in the Red Sea. And the depths cover them, they sank as a stone. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.

They sang that. The Lord brought them through the Red Sea, they sang that song, and now, not too much time had passed, and they murmur, and they complain, because they've had to go, I don't even know how many days without a little bit of water. They'd been fed, they fed manna. Manna.

The first time they saw it, they didn't even know what it was. And Moses told them, he said, it's the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. And all they had to do is just go out there with a basket and gather it up and bring it in the house and eat it. That's it. And when they grew tired of manna, he gave them quail. They didn't have to go out and hunt it. They just went out and just gathered it up.

The Lord had delivered them, delivered them from bondage, delivered them from slavery. He had provided time and time again for every need. Why would that be any different this time? And now they're ready to stone God's servant. The man God used to lead them out, they're ready to pick up stones and stone him because they don't have any water. But isn't that us? Isn't that us?

Filled with doubt, filled with fear, a heart that does not trust God, that quickly just runs. One of the old writers said this, he said, we'd rather lean on a cobweb of human resources rather than upon the arm of an omnipotent, all wise, infinitely gracious God.

An evil heart of unbelief ready to depart from the living God. But you know there is one thing that exceeds the wickedness of this heart. One thing that exceeds the wickedness of this human heart and it's the abounding grace of Almighty God. Wonderful, the matchless grace of Jesus. Deeper than the mighty rolling sea, higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for who? For even me. Broader than the scope of my transgression, greater far than all my sin and shame. Magnify the precious name of Jesus. Praise his name. Praise him. The one thing greater than our sin It's His grace. Spurgeon wrote this, he said, two things man has never fathomed, the depth of sin and the grace of God. Well, look again with me here in Exodus 17. Look at verse four.

Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, what shall I do unto this people? They be ready to stone me and the Lord said unto Moses, go on before the people, take with thee the elders of Israel, take thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river, take it in thine hand and go and behold, I'll 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. Moses, you go.

You go. You take the elders. You take that rod. And I'll stand. I'll stand on the rock in Horeb. And you smite that rock. And out of that rock is going to come water. That had to be just a thought beyond comprehension, that water would come out of a rock. Water's going to come out of that rock, and the people are going to drink. Smite the rock. He says, smite the rock. That's not just tap the rock. Smite the rock.

You strike it or hit it with a severe blow, something that's going to do some damage. I was thinking about this. When I was a kid, me and my cousin, we'd go out to the end of the driveway. And we'd take a stick or a ball bat or whatever we had. And we would pick up rocks. And we'd hit them. We'd hit them as hard as we could. hit them as far as we could. We'd do that for hours.

You know there was nothing really special about that. We're just hitting rocks. That's what Moses is gonna hit the rock. What makes that so special? What is it about a rock smitten that is so meaningful? I'll give you a hint. Brother Paul read it in that opening scripture.

In 1 Corinthians 10.4, it says, they did all drink the same spiritual drink, and they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them. And then he said one more thing. And here's what makes it special. Four words. That rock was Christ. Now let's look at, quickly, just five quick points from this passage this evening. The first one, this is a familiar, this is familiar.

The people thought they would perish. All hope was gone. There was no water. Where there's no water, there's no life. You can only get by with no water for so long. And that's our condition. That's our spiritual condition, by nature, by birth, by practice. No water means, it means no life. Nothing but death in a dry and thirsty land.

Listen to these words from David over in Psalm 63. He said, oh God, Thou art my God, early will I seek thee. He said, my soul thirsteth. My soul thirsteth for one thing, my soul thirsteth for thee. My flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is to see thy power, to see thy glory, to see what I've seen in thy sanctuary.

The well of human nature is dry. It's empty. The well of this religious world, what it has to offer, it is dry. It has nothing to offer. There's nothing that we can do. There's nothing we can do in this flesh to save our souls. We're dead. That's what scripture says. Dead in trespasses and sin. But listen to the words of our Lord from over in John chapter four. Turn there with me, John four. John four, look at verse 14. Well, look at verse 13.

Jesus answered and said unto her, he said, whoever drinketh of this water is gonna thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. There's a rock. That rock is Christ. Second point, there's a rock. A rock in a weary land. And to the natural eye, to the natural man, it looks like every other rock out there. You go back in scripture, and what did men say?

That's the carpenter's son. There's nothing special about him. That child born in a manger. They called him a winebibber. They said he's the friend of publicans and sinners. I'm thankful. I'm thankful he is. But to this world, he was He was nothing, no different than anybody else. They hated him more than anybody else, but he was no different than anybody else. But to those who are the Lord's, those who've been given eyes to see, there's power in that rock. There's life in that rock.

God's word declares this. A man, there's a man that shall be a hiding place from the wind, a covert in the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of what? A rock in a weary land. There's a rock. Have you seen that rock? A rock, I would think that's the most unlikely place to get water. Just a rock, but God stood on that rock. What did we read? That rock was Christ. Third, that rock was smitten. struck with a violent blow. There was no water coming forth from that rock until Moses smote it.

The Lord Jesus Christ was smitten. He was scourged. He was crucified. Crucified that his precious blood might flow forth for the redemption of his people. That rock was smitten. The Lord Jesus Christ, that's what the word of God says about him, isn't it? He was smitten and afflicted of God. Turn to Isaiah 53. Was he smitten? Look at Isaiah 53 verse 10. Isaiah 53 verse 10. It pleased the Lord. It satisfied the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief.

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, divide the spoiled with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death, for he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and he made intercession for the transgressors.

That's the message of the gospel, that rock smitten and afflicted. the wrath of God, the judgment of God, the justice of God, which we deserved, he bore. By his stripes, we are healed. That rock was smitten. That rock was Christ. Fourth, That rock was smitten for a rebellious people. That's an accurate description of Israel. That's an accurate description of us, a particular people, a sinful people, a murmuring people, an undeserving people. And they could do nothing about their condition. And yet God had mercy on them. He didn't have to, but he gave them water. He gave them life for that rock. And that's what he's done for his people in Christ. We have life in Christ. We have life in his son. And you know, there was just, think about the simplicity.

There was just one thing for those rebellious people to do when that water come out of that rock. What was it? Just drink. Drink and be satisfied. I tell you, there's nothing like a drink of water on a hot day like today. There's nothing like living water. for a thirsty soul. Are you thirsty? There's just one thing to do, come and drink. Water, it's for, water's for refreshing. Water's for cleansing. Water's for life, isn't it?

When our Lord was crucified, that Roman soldier He took that sword and jabbed it into the Lord's side. Two things came out, water and blood for a sinful, needy people. Are you a sinner? Are you needy? All the fitness he requires, is to fill your need of him. Here's the fifth point, last point.

That rock, what an amazing thing, that rock followed them. Everywhere they went, everywhere they went, they had water. In the wilderness, in the hills, in the valleys, That rock followed them, that's what we read. And that rock was Christ. The fountain of life, the source of life, the source of all grace. He's that rock upon whom the Lord built his church. He's that rock upon whom the wise man built his house.

Hannah said this when she prayed. She said, there's none holy as the Lord. There's none beside thee. Neither is there any rock like our God. David said this. He said, he only is what? My rock and my salvation. Let me just read this to you from 1 Samuel 22. The Lord liveth. Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. I ask you again, do you know that rock? That rock, go back to what we read to begin the service, that rock was Christ. All right, Isaac come lead us in a closing hymn.

That Rock Was Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christ as the rock?

How do we know that the rock in Exodus represents Christ?

Why is it important for Christians to understand Jesus as the rock?

Sermon Transcript

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That Rock Was Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christ as the rock?

How do we know that the rock in Exodus represents Christ?

Why is it important for Christians to understand Jesus as the rock?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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