The Rock of Faith

There is a popular television commercial about a pickup truck which has been on the air for several years.
The song that is sung during the ad includes the words, "like a rock."
The symbolism of those words refer to the toughness, durability and dependability of the truck.
Whenever I see one of those trucks that song comes to mind. Obviously the General Motors Corporation has succeeded in enabling me to make the connection with the concept that this particular truck has a rock-like image.Rock-like images are theological too. There are numerous references to God as the "Rock."
In Psalm 89, for example, it reads, "God only is my rock and my salvation."
In Deuteronomy 32 it says that "God is the Rock and God's work is perfect."
Isaiah said to "look to the rock from which you were hewn." (Is. 51)
And of course the most famous saying is in the New Testament when Jesus says to Peter, "and on this rock I will build my church." (Matt. 16:18)Here in Matthew, Jesus is saying that the way to be in the kingdom of God is to be as one who builds his/her house on a rock rather than sand.
Foolish people build their houses on sand which makes them vulnerable to storms.
On the other hand, wise people build their houses on the rock which means they can withstand the storms of life.

One of the most striking features of Israel is the geography & terrain…

Rocky hillsides, while the valleys, where the rivers run, are sandy because of erosion coming down from higher ground.

A village builder in Jesus' day had two choices.

They did not excavate foundations. You built a house in the valley on sandy soil or on a rocky hillside.

One was easier than the other. Hillside builders planned for the worse; valley builders hoped for the best.

And if the winter rains come in a rush, a dry creek bed or water quickly becomes a torrent that sweeps all away.
Hard rain, strong winds, and flash floods: it blew and beat on both houses.

They look alike, but when the storm passes only one remains. Same materials, different foundations.

When the storms & troubles of this life come to you….., upon what is your foundation built?

A final image that I think we can all relate to..

Back in the year 1174, an Italian architect by the name of Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: a bell tower to beautify the Cathedral of the city of Pisa.

The tower was to be a cylindrical, eight-story, 185-foot-tall building with arcaded stories, a fine example of Tuscan Romanesque architecture.

There was just one "little" problem. During construction, the builders discovered that the soil around the Pisa Cathedral was much softer than they had anticipated.

The foundation Pisano had designed for the building was far too shallow to adequately support the structure.
Before long, the whole building had begun to tilt, and continued to tilt, until finally the architect and the builders realized that nothing could be done to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight again.

It would take 176 years in all to complete construction on the Tower of Pisa, and throughout that time, the builders tried many different ways to compensate for the "tilt" of the Tower.

The foundations were shored up and reinforced; the upper levels of the tower were built on at an angle to try to at least make the top of the tower look straight. Nothing worked.

The Tower of Pisa has continued to stand for over 800 years now; it now leans more than 18 feet away from center position. Even with all our modern technology, this building can never be made perfectly straight.

Architectural specialists predict that eventually the structure will fall down because Bonnano Pisano didn't do enough research into the soil composition around the building site.

How's the foundation of your life doing this morning? Is it rock?