Untitled Sermon

ROCK Use of rocky sites as places of refuge (; ; ) led to the frequent image of God as a rock, that is, a source of protection. Titles of God include: the “Stone of Israel” ( NASB); the Rock (); the Rock of salvation (32:15); the Rock who begot Israel (32:18); “a rock that is high above me” ( HCSB). pictures the Lord of Hosts as a “rock to stumble over” (NASB) to the unholy people of Israel and Judah. Paul identified Christ as the spiritual Rock which nourished Israel in the wilderness (). Other texts apply to Christ, the Isaiah image of a rock which causes persons to fall (; ). Jesus’ teaching is the rock-solid foundation for life (). The identity of the rock upon which Christ promised to build the church () is disputed. Possible identifications include: Peter (whose name means “rock”), the larger group of disciples, Christ Himself, and Peter’s confession of faith. The different Greek terms employed (Petros and petra) argue against a quick identification of Peter as the foundation. Both Christ () and the larger circle of apostles (; ) are pictured as the foundation of the church elsewhere. It seems unlikely that Matthew presents Christ as both builder and foundation of the church. Application of the foundation image to evangelistic work (; ) suggests that Peter’s God-revealed confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (), is the foundation of the church which lays siege to the gates of Hades. See Keys of the Kingdom; Peter.

Church, C. (2003). Rock. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1406). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.