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Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. (Ps. 95:1)

I vividly remember Wednesday morning chapel services when I attended Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Dallas. Most often we used the order of Matins, and we would sing words based on the passage above in the Venite. God is the Rock of our salvation! This imagery is throughout the Old Testament.

When Jacob was blessing his sons, he came to Joseph and referred to God as a Rock, calling him “…the Mighty One of Jacob, … the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” (Genesis 49:24)

When Moses stood on the brink of the Promised Land, he offered a song of praise, and said: “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (Deuteronomy 32: 4)

David gathered five smooth stones from the brook as he went forth to do battle with Goliath.  And years later, when He was King David, He spoke of God this way: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.” 2 Samuel 22:2-3

All through Isaiah we find references to God as the Rock, such as: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal (Isaiah 26:4).

God was thought of as a ROCK because He is steadfast and firm. It is little wonder, then, that when our Lord Jesus appeared on the scene, he was called the ROCK! He is the Chief Cornerstone, the rock of our salvation. He is strong and mighty to save. Jesus is the Rock!

One Easter years ago at Grace, as people arrived to worship they were given a rock like the one in the picture, with a cross engraved on it. That was risky handing them out at the beginning, but thankfully no one threw one at me during the service. I gave everyone those rocks as reminders of Jesus being the rock of our salvation. He is the Son of God who laid aside His power as God to come down here as one of us, live among us, go through everything we go through, and do it all without sin. He then offered His perfect life on a different kind of altar – the cross. The Rock of your salvation let Himself be sacrificed to pay for your sin.

But on that Easter, I wanted them to remember another rock mentioned in the Gospels. After Jesus died, we are told that Joseph of Arimathea secured permission to take His body from the cross and bury Him.

Matthew 27:59-60 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

That should have been the end. That was how life ended. With a burial. And Jesus had declared on Friday, “It is finished.” The price for sin had been paid by Jesus, the Rock of your salvation. It is finished. The stone sealed the tomb. That was it. But wait … there’s more. Jesus rocked the world — the stone was rolled away! Death could not hold Him. He burst from the tomb to announce life everlasting for all who believe in Him.

May you always remember the Rock of your Salvation and how He rocked the world for you!

There was a song recorded and made famous by Randy Travis back in 1987. I really like his smooth, deep voice. It was written by a fellow named Paul Overstreet who has written a lot of hit songs for a lot of artists, including Himself. You may recognize the lyrics.

I’m gonna love you forever
Forever and ever amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men
If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful
I’ll be happy to tell you again
I’m gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen

 It is a nice little love song, with a man pledging his love to a woman. But we know that the love we show to each other is but an imperfect reflection of the love that God has shown to us. The love of God is known in Jesus, who was willing to set aside His power as God so that He would live among, keep the law for us, and offer Himself as the payment for the sins of the world.

Here are a few passages to consider about the way God loves you.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

John 13:34–35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 John 3:23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

We know that God truly loves us, forever and ever. Amen. Let us resolve to imitate Him today, showing His love to the people He places before us.

A church was looking for a new preacher. They formed a Pastoral Search Committee and started interviewing candidates. During one of the interviews, they asked the candidate, “What part of the Bible do you like best?” He said, “I like the New Testament best.” Then he was asked “What book in the New Testament is your favorite?” He answered “The book of the Parables.” They looked at each other and then asked said, “Why don’t you share a bit of that book with us?” This is what he said:

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell on the stony ground among thieves; and the thorns grew up and choked the man. So he got up and climbed a Sycamore tree. He was there for three days and three nights, when Solomon and his wife Gomorrah came by and helped him down. They took him down to the Ark of the Covenant to take care of him. He went on and met the Queen of Sheba, and she gave him a thousand talents of silver and a hundred changes of clothing. And he got in his chariot and drove furiously, and as he was driving along under a fig tree, his hair got caught in a limb and left him hanging there! And he hung there for forty days and forty nights. The Ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair, and his strength left him and he fell on stony ground once again. And it began to rain. And it rained for forty days and forty nights. And he hid himself in a cave and said, “I am the only one left!” Later he went on and met a man who said, “Come in and take supper with me.” But he said “I can’t come in, for I have married a wife” And the man went out into the highways and the byways and compelled him to come in! He then came to Jerusalem, and saw Queen Jezebel sitting high and lifted up in a window of the wall. When she saw him she laughed and he said “Throw her down out of there”, and they threw her down. And he said “Throw her down again”, and they threw her down again. In all, they threw her down seventy times seven. And the fragments that they picked up filled twelve baskets full! “Now, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”

The search committee sat in stunned silence, and finally they agreed that this was indeed a very knowledgeable candidate!

Everything he said was in the Bible. And while you may have laughed at how mixed up it was, I would guess that most of you would have a hard time identifying the different Bible stories referenced here. Indeed, it is all in the Bible! Unfortunately too many people today are ignorant of these stories, where they are found and the significance of them. You may know what the Bible says, but knowing what it says without making sense of it does you no good.

That is why I encourage all of you to spend time in your Bibles every day. Read it for yourself. Don’t rely on what I or anyone else tells you about it. Read it yourself. You have to know what it says, understand what it means for you, and believe it. That will not happen apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Nor will it happen if you don’t know what it says!

I know there are a thousand different things screaming for your attention every day, and this is one of them that is so easily dismissed as not all that important. But consider this: What is more important than God?  He wants to spend some time with you. He wants you to spend some time with Him. So I have a challenge for you. Instead of spending all evening watching shows that you’ve already seen on television or something you don’t really want to watch, instead of scrolling mindlessly through social media posts on your phone, take ten minutes of that time and read a chapter of the Bible each night. Alone time with God. Instead of playing computer games for an hour, play for 45 minutes and spend the other 15 minutes reading God’s Word. Become better acquainted with your God as He speaks to you in His Word. Make it a daily discipline to learn more about the one who made you, loves you, and sent His Son to redeem you. There is nothing more important than that, but you wouldn’t know it by the way most of us prioritize our lives.

The better you know God’s Word, the better you will be able to apply it to your life, your living, your peace of mind. The more time you spend in God’s Word, the less likely you will be to get as mixed up as that man at the beginning of this devotion. The better you know God’s Word, the more you will understand the peace you have with God because of what Jesus did in your place. The message of Scripture is all about that. Get into the Word yourself to let God speak to you.

A young woman wandered into a church service one day, heard the message of God’s love for her in Christ, and was led by the Spirit of God to put her trust in Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and even prostitution. But all that changed once she met Jesus. In fact, the change was obvious in her life. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long before this faithful young woman caught the eye and heart of a young man in the congregation. In fact, it was the pastor’s son. The relationship grew and they started to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son. The members of the church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting.

This was one of those knock-down-drag-out church meetings where the way people talked and acted didn’t make them look like the followers of Jesus they were supposed to be. It got pretty ugly. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor’s son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. So this is what he said:

“My fiancée’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?”

When the people assembled heard that question, it hit them right between the eyes. They all began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Did the death of Jesus bring forgiveness or not? Was His sacrifice enough to cover all sins? Either Jesus paid for all sins or He didn’t pay for any of them – which is true?

Too often, Christians we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. I’ve heard it described this way: “All too often the Church shoots its wounded!” That is the exact opposite of how we should treat each other. Forgiveness is at the core of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

But that is not the case. The message of God in His Word is clear.

1 John 1:7-9 … the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

We rejoice in the knowledge that no matter what our sins have been, we have forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. Let’s remember that our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what their sins have been, enjoy that same forgiveness.

Cheryl likes to watch cooking and baking competition on the television, like “Chopped” and “The Great British Bake Off.” I like to shows where they remodel homes, like “Maine Cabin Masters.”  Something these so called “Reality Shows” have in common is that at some point in every episode they try to add to the drama by saying they won’t have enough time to finish. Every single episode. They will even play music that tries to suck you into the sense of urgency. It is all geared toward making you more excited and involved so that you will continue to watch.

How easily we get caught up in the hype and pressure and tension. And I’m not just talking about those “reality shows.” We allow the drama in our lives to take control. We convince ourselves that we have to hurry up and get things done so we keep up with our neighbors. Our world is constantly telling us to “Go! Go! Go!.” Hurry up. There isn’t enough time to get it all done. Rush! Get moving.

When you find yourself getting overwhelmed by the drama and the demands on you, listen to what God says to you:

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Take a breath. Step back. Ask yourself if what you are doing is really worth what you are putting yourself through. Don’t push yourself too hard. You need to rest. Jesus said as much to His disciples before the Feeding of the 5000.

Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

And then again, after He fed that large crowd, we read this.

Mark 6:45–46 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

Be Still. Take time to rest. Take time to pray. You can’t do everything. And you don’t have to do everything. Take time to rest and remember what Jesus has done for you. He paid for you sin. He earned your forgiveness. He defeated death for you. He opened heaven for anyone who will trust in Him. Let those things guide and direct how you spend your time today. I think you will discover you have plenty of time.

Exodus 19:1–6 In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on the very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Math was always one of my best subjects, and I enjoyed it. I started out my undergraduate studies in engineering, and when I switched to Elementary Education in preparation to attend the seminary, I still had a concentration in math. One of the courses I took was a computer programming class which involved as lot of logic equations. For me, that was a lot of fun. One of the things we learned was “if – then” statements, also known as conditional statements. If this, then that. When the “if” condition is true, “then” will be the result.

There is a conditional statement in the passage above.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

Because this is from the Old Testament, many think it is Law, telling us what we must do to earn our salvation. But that is not the case. God knows we are not capable of earning His favor in our fallen, sinful condition. That is why He sent Jesus. He places such a high value on you that He was willing to do whatever it took so that you could be bought back from your sinful condition and restored to the position of His dearly loved children, His treasured possession. The “if” part about obeying and keeping His covenant boils down to this: believing God’s promise that He will forgive you for any and all sins if you put your faith and confidence in Jesus. It is not what you do, but what Jesus did for you that earned this for you.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

This is hard for the world to accept. In fact, it is impossible to believe unless the Spirit of God works in them. But for those who have been led to believe through the Word, for those who have placed their trust in Jesus, it gives comfort and strength for living now and confidence of life everlasting. It also gives us the motivation to love and treat others in a way that will let them in on this good thing we have.

There are a lot of folks out there who are lost and hurting and angry at Christ and His church. Some of them sometimes post comments on my devotions using foul language and accuse me of simply trying to get money or mislead people. I make note of their names and pray for them, that God would put someone in their lives to show them the love of God in Christ and open the door for them to believe in Jesus, too.  Maybe you can be that person for someone. If you do, then the Spirit of God will have the chance to work in their hearts.

This time four years ago we were in the middle of a lockdown. We were not having regular worship services, although we did have a “Drive In” service on Easter Sunday where people stayed in their vehicles and we blasted the service over the parking lot with a portable PA system. People were scared, lonely and miserable at the forced isolation from family and friends. There were so many unknowns. Do you remember how that felt? That Easter I reminded everyone that Christ is still risen, and that makes all the difference in this world. But it was a difficult time.

Even though our youngest daughter and her family only live about 80 miles away, we had only seen them once since the lockdown started. Then in late May they came up to our house for the first time in a long time. Our then two-year-old grandson, Simon, ran up to Cheryl and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. He kept saying, “Got Gammaw, Got Gammaw, Got Gammaw.”  It was a joyful reunion.

It made me think of what lay ahead for believers. Sure, we are living in this sinful world with its hardships, but because of what Jesus did for us, we look forward to a joyful reunion with Him. Paul wrote about it this way:

Romans 8:18–21 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

The day is coming when those subjected to frustration will be liberated from their bondage to decay and brought into that place that Jesus went to prepare for us. When we get there, I can picture us wanting to cling to our Savior in celebration and cry out “Got Jesus! Got Jesus! Got Jesus!”

For that to happen, you need to “get Jesus” now. You need to understand that He is the only way to the Father, that He has done what was needed to give us free access to forgiveness and everlasting life. It is a gift available to everyone, not matter who you are or what you have done. Thanks be to God our salvation is not dependent on our behavior, but on what Jesus already did for us.

Jesus wants to be with us through good times and bad, through times of blessings and times of pandemic, through whatever we must face in this life. He is our strength. He is our Savior. If you “get Jesus” now, you will have Him and be with Him for eternity.

Got Jesus?