Articles From Church On The GO

“Stability And Sustenance From The ROCK”

KEY THOUGHT

In our world of instability and lack of sustenance, we need STABILITY in our lives.

KEY DEFINITIONS

STABILITY

Able or likely to continue or last, resistant to sudden change or fluctuation, reliable and steady, enduring, fixed, permanent, consistent.

SUSTENANCE

Anything that sustains, esp. food, means of livelihood.

The process of sustaining, or the state of being sustained.

KEY QUESTION

What seems unstable or lacks sustenance in our world today?

GOD GIVES SUSTENANCE FROM THE ROCK

Deuteronomy 8:15-20 (English Standard Version)

¹⁵who⁽^A) led you through the great and terrifying wilderness,⁽^B) with its fiery serpents and scorpions⁽^C) and thirsty ground where there was no water,⁽^D) who brought you water out of the flinty rock, ¹⁶who fed you in the wilderness with⁽^E) manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you,⁽^F) to do you good in the end. ¹⁷Beware⁽^G) lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' ¹⁸You shall remember the LORD your God, for⁽^H) it is he who gives you power to get wealth,⁽^I) that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ¹⁹And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them,⁽^J) I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. ²⁰Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you,⁽^K) so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 32:13 (English Standard Version)

^13(A) He made him ride on the high places of the land,
and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with⁽^B) honey out of the rock,
and⁽^C) oil out of⁽^D) the flinty rock.

Job 29:6 (English Standard Version)

⁶when my steps were⁽^A) washed with⁽^B) butter,
and⁽^C) the rock poured out for me streams of⁽^D) oil!

Psalm 81:16 (English Standard Version)

¹⁶But he would feed you^[^a] with⁽^A) the finest of the wheat,
and with⁽^B) honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

· WATER – Needed for LIFE – the TYPE of Christ the living and written WORD – washing of water of the WORD – the RIVER OF LIFE!

· HONEY – Taste and see that the LORD is Good! A type of the sweetness yet sustenance of our God!

· OIL – Produces Light, Power, Healing, Reduces Friction, Sustains smooth operation in LIFE! A TYPE of HIS PRESENCE – the ANOINTING breaks the YOKE!

KEY SCRIPTURE PASSAGE

Deuteronomy 32 (English Standard Version)

Deuteronomy 32

¹"Give ear,⁽^A) O heavens, and I will speak,
   and let⁽^B) the earth hear the words of my mouth.
²May⁽^C) my teaching drop as the rain,
   my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
   and⁽^D) like showers upon the herb.
³For I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
   ascribe⁽^E) greatness to our God!

⁴⁽^F) "The Rock,⁽^G) his work is perfect,
   for⁽^H) all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and⁽^I) without iniquity,
   just and upright is he.
⁵They have dealt corruptly with him;
   they are no longer his children⁽^J) because they are blemished;
   they are⁽^K) a crooked and twisted generation.
⁶Do you thus repay the LORD,
   you foolish and senseless people?
Is not he⁽^L) your father, who⁽^M) created you,
   who⁽^N) made you and established you?
⁷⁽^O) Remember the days of old;
   consider the years of many generations;
⁽^P) ask your father, and he will show you,
   your elders, and they will tell you.
⁸When the Most High⁽^Q) gave to the nations their inheritance,
   when he⁽^R) divided mankind,
he fixed the borders^[^a] of the peoples
   according to the number of the sons of God.^[^b]
⁹But the LORD’s portion is his people,
   Jacob his allotted heritage.
¹⁰"He found him⁽^S) in a desert land,
   and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he⁽^T) encircled him, he cared for him,
   he⁽^U) kept him as the apple of his eye.
¹¹⁽^V) Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
   that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
   bearing them on its pinions,
¹²⁽^W) the LORD alone guided him,
   ⁽^X) no foreign god was with him.
¹³⁽^Y) He made him ride on the high places of the land,
   and he ate the produce of the field,
and he suckled him with⁽^Z) honey out of the rock,
   and⁽^AA) oil out of⁽^AB) the flinty rock.
¹⁴Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
   with fat^[^c] of lambs,
rams of Bashan and goats,
   with the very finest^[^d] of the wheat—
   and you drank foaming wine made from⁽^AC) the blood of the grape.
¹⁵"But⁽^AD) Jeshurun grew fat, and⁽^AE) kicked;
   ⁽^AF) you grew fat, stout, and sleek;
⁽^AG) then he forsook God⁽^AH) who made him
   and scoffed at⁽^AI) the Rock of his salvation.
¹⁶⁽^AJ) They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
   with abominations they provoked him to anger.
¹⁷⁽^AK) They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
   to gods they had never known,
to⁽^AL) new gods that had come recently,
   whom your fathers had never dreaded.
¹⁸You were unmindful of⁽^AM) the Rock that bore^[^e] you,
   and you⁽^AN) forgot the God who gave you birth.
¹⁹⁽^AO) "The LORD saw it and spurned them,
   because of the provocation of⁽^AP) his sons and his daughters.
²⁰And he said,⁽^AQ) 'I will hide my face from them;
   I will see what their end will be,
For they are a perverse generation,
   children in whom is no faithfulness.
²¹⁽^AR) They have made me jealous with what is no god;
   they have provoked me to anger⁽^AS) with their idols.
So⁽^AT) I will make them jealous with those who are no people;
   I will provoke them to anger with⁽^AU) a foolish nation.
²²For⁽^AV) a fire is kindled by my anger,
   and it burns to⁽^AW) the depths of Sheol,
devours the earth and its increase,
   and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
²³"'And I will heap disasters upon them;
   ⁽^AX) I will spend my arrows on them;
²⁴they shall be wasted with hunger,
   and devoured by plague
   and poisonous pestilence;
I will send⁽^AY) the teeth of beasts against them,
   with the venom of⁽^AZ) things that crawl in the dust.
²⁵⁽^BA) Outdoors the sword shall bereave,
   and indoors terror,
for young man and woman alike,
   the nursing child with the man of gray hairs.
²⁶⁽^BB) I would have said, "I will cut them to pieces;
   ⁽^BC) I will wipe them from human memory,"
²⁷had I not feared provocation by the enemy,
   lest their adversaries should misunderstand,
lest they should say,⁽^BD) "Our hand is triumphant,
   it was not the LORD who did all this."'
²⁸"For they are a nation void of counsel,
   and there is⁽^BE) no understanding in them.
²⁹⁽^BF) If they were wise, they would understand this;
   they would⁽^BG) discern their latter end!
³⁰How could⁽^BH) one have chased a thousand,
   and two have put ten thousand to flight,
unless their Rock⁽^BI) had sold them,
   and the LORD had given them up?
³¹For⁽^BJ) their rock is not as our Rock;
   ⁽^BK) our enemies are by themselves.
³²For their vine⁽^BL) comes from the vine of Sodom
   and from the fields of Gomorrah;
their grapes are grapes of⁽^BM) poison;
   their clusters are bitter;
³³their wine is the poison of⁽^BN) serpents
   and the cruel venom of asps.
³⁴"'Is not this laid up in store with me,
   ⁽^BO) sealed up in my treasuries?
³⁵⁽^BP) Vengeance is mine, and recompense,^[^f]
   ⁽^BQ) for the time when their foot shall slip;
for⁽^BR) the day of their calamity is at hand,
   and their doom comes swiftly.'
³⁶For⁽^BS) the LORD will vindicate^[^g] his people
   ⁽^BT) and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
   and there is none remaining,⁽^BU) bond or free.
³⁷Then he will say,⁽^BV) 'Where are their gods,
   ⁽^BW) the rock in which they took refuge,
³⁸who ate the fat of their sacrifices
   and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
   let them be your protection!
³⁹"'See now that⁽^BX) I, even I, am he,
   and there is no god beside me;
⁽^BY) I kill and I make alive;
   ⁽^BZ) I wound and I heal;
   and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
⁴⁰For⁽^CA) I lift up my hand to heaven
   and swear, As I live forever,
⁴¹if I⁽^CB) sharpen my flashing sword^[^h]
   and my hand takes hold on judgment,
I will take vengeance on my adversaries
   and will repay those who hate me.
⁴²I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
   and⁽^CC) my sword shall devour flesh—
with the blood of the slain and the captives,
   from the⁽^CD) long-haired heads of the enemy.'
⁴³⁽^CE) "Rejoice with him, O heavens;
   bow down to him, all gods,^[^i]
for he⁽^CF) avenges the blood of his children^[^j]
   and takes vengeance on his adversaries.
He repays those who hate him^[^k]
   and cleanses^[^l] his people’s land."^[^m]
⁴⁴Moses came and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people, he and⁽^CG) Joshua^[^n] the son of Nun. ⁴⁵And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, ⁴⁶he said to them,⁽^CH) "Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today,⁽^CI) that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. ⁴⁷For it is no empty word for you,⁽^CJ) but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

THE SPIRITUAL ROCK

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 (English Standard Version)

1 Corinthians 10

Warning Against Idolatry

¹For I want you to know, brothers,^[^a] that our fathers were all under⁽^A) the cloud, and all⁽^B) passed through the sea, ²and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³and⁽^C) all ate the same⁽^D) spiritual food, ⁴and⁽^E) all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for⁽^F) they were overthrown in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as⁽^G) they did.
ROCK OF OFFENSE

1 Peter 2:1-10 (English Standard Version)

1 Peter 2

A Living Stone and a Holy People

¹⁽^A) So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ²⁽^B) Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual⁽^C) milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³if indeed you have⁽^D) tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴As you come to him, a living stone⁽^E) rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵⁽^F) you yourselves like living stones are being built up as⁽^G) a spiritual house, to be⁽^H) a holy priesthood,⁽^I) to offer spiritual sacrifices⁽^J) acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in Scripture:

   ⁽^K) "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
   a cornerstone chosen and precious,
⁽^L) and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
⁷So the honor is for you who⁽^M) believe, but for those who⁽^N) do not believe,

   "The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone,"^[^a]
⁸and

   ⁽^O) "A stone of stumbling,
   and a rock of offense."

   They stumble because they disobey the word,⁽^P) as they were destined to do.
⁹But you are⁽^Q) a chosen race,⁽^R) a royal⁽^S) priesthood,⁽^T) a holy nation,⁽^U) a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you⁽^V) out of darkness into⁽^W) his marvelous light. ¹⁰⁽^X) Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Romans 9:32-33 (English Standard Version)

³²Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the⁽^A) stumbling stone, ³³as it is written,

⁽^B) "Behold, I am laying in Zion⁽^C) a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
⁽^D) and whoever believes in him will not be⁽^E) put to shame."

HOUSE ON THE ROCK

Matthew 7:24-27 (English Standard Version)

Build Your House on the Rock

²⁴⁽^A) "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like⁽^B) a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like⁽^C) a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD

Matthew 16:15-20 (English Standard Version)

¹⁵He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" ¹⁶Simon Peter replied,⁽^A) "You are⁽^B) the Christ,⁽^C) the Son of⁽^D) the living God." ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, ⁽^E) "Blessed are you,⁽^F) Simon Bar-Jonah! For⁽^G) flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,⁽^H) but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you,⁽^I) you are Peter, and⁽^J) on this rock^[^a] I will build my church, and⁽^K) the gates of⁽^L) hell^[^b] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you⁽^M) the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and⁽^N) whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[^c] in heaven." ²⁰⁽^O) Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

CONCLUSIONS

STABILITY AND SUSTENANCE ARE FOUND ONLY IN THE ROCK!

Matthew 21:42-46 (English Standard Version)

⁴²Jesus said to them, ⁽^A) "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

   ⁽^B) "'The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone;^[^a]
this was the Lord’s doing,
   and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God⁽^C) will be taken away from you and given to a people⁽^D) producing its fruits. ⁴⁴And⁽^E) the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and⁽^F) when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."^[^b]
⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶And⁽^G) although they were seeking to arrest him,⁽^H) they feared the crowds, because they held him to be⁽^I) a prophet.

Pastor Rev. C.E. Stephen Coates
www.churchonthego.ca