Would you turn to 2 Samuel chapter
22. Verse 47. The Lord liveth. That's what
we considered last week. And blessed be my rock. and exalted be the God of the
rock of my salvation. Our merciful heavenly father,
we come into your presence in the name of thy son and we ask
in his name that you would be pleased to condescend and meet
with us for Christ's sake. We pray that we might be enabled
to worship him We pray that we might be enabled to look to him
only. Oh Lord, we ask that you would
be our rock. Lord, forgive us of our sins.
Cleanse us for Christ's sake. Meet each need here according
to your will. Speak in power to each heart here according
to your will. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Is God your rock? Now think about that. Is God, the living God, the God
of glory, is God your rock? Now notice how David says, blessed
in verse 47, blessed be my rock and exalted be the God of the
rock of my salvation. Blessed be my rock. I think of what Paul said in
Ephesians chapter one, when he said, blessed be the God and
father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Blessed
be the God of the rock of my salvation. Exalted is the God
of the rock of my salvation. Now, what do you think of when
you think of a rock? God being compared to a rock.
You think of the rock of Gibraltar, some big, huge rock. What do you think of? Well, the
first thing that I think of is strength. It just represents
strength. I think of immovability. You
see a big rock. It's not going to be moved. When
you see a big rock, a huge rock, you think how old it is. Blessed
be the God of the rock of my salvation. Now you want to talk
about strong. He's omnipotent. He has such
strength that whatever he wills, he has it. He's more than immovable. He's immutable. He never changes. And talking about old, he's eternal. He never began to be. And he is the rock of every believer. Now, when someone is your rock,
you say they're stable. They're faithful. They're predictable
and dependable. You can count on them. If somebody's
your rock, that means they have your back. Isn't it wonderful
to have someone who genuinely has your back? Now, what a rock
the Lord is, how faithful he is. how utterly dependable and
reliable he is. And oh, how he has your back.
If he's your rock, how he has your, he's got your front too,
doesn't he? And he's got your side too. He surrounds you. God is my rock. Exalted be, blessed be the rock
of my salvation. Now, turn with me for a moment
to Deuteronomy chapter 32. There's a whole lot in the Scriptures
about the Lord being a rock. Look in verse 3 of Deuteronomy
chapter 32. Because I will publish the name
of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the rock. He's called that hundreds of
times in the Old Testament. He is the rock. Look what it says next, his work
is perfect. For all his ways are judgment
to God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Now, what
is his work? Salvation. That's his work. Salvation is of the Lord. So
because his work is perfect, this rock, oh, I want him to
be my rock, don't you? this rock, because his work is
perfect, he can look at somebody like Noah and me and you and
say he is perfect. That's what he said about Noah.
He was perfect in his generations, a righteous man. He could say
the same thing about Lot. How does he say things like this
about men like me and you? Because his work, is perfect. Salvation is of the Lord. Now,
the first thing that I thought of when I thought of him being
a rock is he said to Moses, I'm going to stand on the rock. This
is the Lord Jesus speaking. I'm going to stand on the rock,
smite the rock with him standing on it, and the waters will flow
out. What a glorious type of the gospel,
the smitten rock. Do you remember when he said
to Moses, I'm gonna hide you in a cleft of the rock, and I'm
gonna pass by before you, I'm gonna put my hand over you so
you can't see my face and live. He said, you'll see my back parts.
Now what's that mean, you'll see my back parts? All we see
of God is what he's done. But seeing what he's done is
enough for us to know who he is. That's his back parts. He
said, I'll hide you in a rock. 1 Samuel 2. This is the prayer
of Hannah. And I was listening to somebody
preach. I'm pretty sure, I think it was
Brother Mahan. And he said, people ought to
read the prayer of Hannah at least once a week. And I wouldn't
deny that. But look what he says. In verse
two, there's none holy as the Lord for there's none beside
thee, neither is there any rock like our God. No rock like this
rock. You can't compare him to anybody. There's no rock. You know, I
think in Deuteronomy chapter 32, it said, even our enemies
say our rock is not their rock. They say that, and they're right.
My God's not like that. Yeah, I know he's not. I know
he's not. But there's no one that can be compared to this
rock. Now, turn to 2 Samuel 22. That's
the passage we're in. This is something that hit me
real strong. I hope this statement is going
to make sense. Verse 2, this is that same psalm, and
he said, the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
the God of my rock, in him will I trust. Now, I want you to think
about that statement, in him will I trust. How do men say?
What is the natural man will say? I will trust in him. I will
trust in him. Now anything that begins with
an I. There's a problem. There's a big problem. Sin is
a little word and I is the biggest word in it. I will trust in him
that you know that just oh OK so you will. I will trust in
him. In him. will I trust? All my salvation
is in Him. In Him will I trust. My only hope is that everything
God requires of me, He looks to Him for. I was chosen in Him. Redemption is in Him. All of
God's blessing, all of God's mercy, all of God's grace, all
of God's acceptance is in Him. In Him will I trust. Only one
place of safety in the house with the blood over the door.
In Him will I trust. He said, the rock of Israel spake
to me. Well, what's he got to say? This is my beloved son in
whom I'm well-pleased. Hear ye him. Is the Lord your
rock? In Psalm 28 one, David said,
unto thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock. Be not silent to me. He's the rock we cry to. I don't know if I can remember
a day when at some time I didn't have to cry out, Lord, save me.
Save me. Lead me to the rock that is higher
than I, David said. This is the rock. He's the rock
we cry to. I think the Lord being a rock
is such a glorious name for him. Blessed be the rock of my salvation. In Psalm 31 verse 2, David said,
Be thou my strong rock and a house of defense to save me. I need
him as a house of defense, don't you? I need this refuge, this
house of defense I can go into and find refuge and safety. Be
a house of defense to save me. And what a house of defense he
is. If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not? What could
possibly prevent Him from freely giving us all things? If He spared not His Son, there's
nothing you can do to prevent Him from freely giving you all
things. What a rock! Turn to Psalm 61. I want to read this. with you.
Psalm 61. Verse 1, Hear my cry, O God. Attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will
I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed,
lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Overwhelmed. Everybody here knows what it
means to feel overwhelmed. This is too, I'm too weak for
this, this is too big for me, I'm too, just overwhelmed. What am I to do when I'm overwhelmed? Lord, lead me. I can't get up
to the rock the tired that I am. Lead me to the rock, the Lord
Jesus Christ that's higher than I. How high is He? Oh, He's seated
at the right hand of the Father. And you think of the safety and
the security of Christ seated at the right hand of the Father.
That's where I want to be, in Him. Lead me to the rock that's
higher than I. Look in Psalm 62. Verse 2. He only is my rock. He only is my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be greatly moved. How long will you imagine mischief
against a man? You shall be slain, all of you,
as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They
only consult to cast him down from his excellency. They delight
in lies. They bless with their mouth,
but they curse inwardly. My soul wait thou only upon God
for my expectations from him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not
be moved. Somebody once called this the only song. Only is in
here a whole lot of times. He only is my rock and my salvation. You know what that means? He
only is my acceptance before God. He only. He only is the reason
God elected me. Can you find any reason you why
God would elect you? Christ is the only reason, amen? He only
is my sin payment. He only is my righteousness. He only is the object of my faith. You know, I'm gonna say this
out front, but I want you to think about this. You can't look
to Christ and your works. You look to Christ only or you
don't look at all. He only is the object of my faith. We look
only to him. He only is everything in my salvation,
everything God requires of me, he looks to his son for. I find
such joy in that, such peace. If I thought God had to get something
out of me, I think, well, I'm not saved. I don't have any confidence. I don't have any. But if Christ
only is my salvation, what joy, what peace, what rest? He only
is my salvation. Look at Psalm 71, verse 3. Be thou my strong habitation,
whereunto I may continually resort. Thou hast given commandment to
save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress. Now, I've got
to be able to continually resort to my rock. Now, what's that
mean? When I was in the meeting yesterday,
somebody was Bruce Crabtree was preaching on John 637. All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me, him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. And what was the response of
my heart? Lord, you said anybody that comes you won't cast out
for any reason. I'm coming. Don't cast me out. I'm coming. You said this. This
is your promise. You said this, not me. You said him that cometh
to me I will in no wise for no reason whatsoever cast out. Lord,
I'm coming. Receive me. You know, that's
the way a sinner comes to Christ. Resting only in his promise. To whom coming. That's the rock
I need, the rock that I can continually come to. Look in Psalm 73. I think this was almost my favorite
one of all these scriptures we looked at regarding God being
a rock. Psalm 73 verse 26, my flesh and my heart, what's
the next word? Faileth. You know what that means? I don't even have to say. You
know if you're a believer. My flesh, I know that in me that
is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. My heart, is it any wonder
David said, create in me a clean heart, oh God? I feel mine to
be so filthy and I can't make it clean. Create in me a clean
heart. So David makes this statement
with regard to himself or whoever wrote Psalm 73. My flesh and
my heart faileth. How many times have you found
them to be failing? But God is the strength. And if you look in the marginal
reading, it is the rock. Same word translated rock. God
is the strength. God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 94 verse 22, but the Lord is my defense. And my God is the rock of my
refuge, my shelter. I need shelter. I need protection. God is the
rock, the strength of my protection, my defense. Now, God is the rock
of every single believer. Now, this is the rock. I love
this simple parable or illustration the Lord
gives us about two men. One man was a wise man, and the
other man was a foolish man. What did the foolish man do?
He didn't build his house on a rock, did he? It was a good-looking house,
perhaps better looking than the one on the rock. He didn't have
to do foundation work and probably spent more money on the superstructure.
It looked good. But what happened to that house
that was not built on a rock? When the rains came, the trials
from God, the winds blow, the floods came up, what happened
to that house? It fell. Why? One reason. It wasn't founded
on the rock. The rock, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the wise man. This is who God called the wise
man. He dug deep. and built his house on a rock. Other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus, the Lord, the
rock. He is the rock. What a foundation
he is. I mean, the foundation is the
important part of the house. More important, a whole lot more
important than anything else. You can have a great superstructure,
but if you don't have a foundation, it's all going away. Christ is
the foundation of my salvation. I am laying wholly on him. I don't want to have a finger
out supporting itself. Laying wholly on him. Now that
wise man, he built his house on the rock. And when the rains
came, and the floods raised, and the winds blew, what happened
to that house? It stood for one reason. It was
founded on the rock. Isn't that a beautiful illustration
of what Christ is to us? He's our rock, he's our defense,
he's our shelter, he's immovable, he's immutable. He's the one,
and I love thinking about this, he's the one who has my back.
I need protection, don't you? He is the rock of our salvation. Well, we've been in that chapter
for about 12 or 13 weeks, but I think next week will be the
last one, and we'll go on to chapter 23.