RUN TO THE ROCK
2 Timothy 4:7; Psalm 18:1-3
Well, let’s study Gods Word together.
INTRODUCTION:
Every year there is an historic race (a 1/2 marathon) that takes place in the picturesque Northeast. It’s held in September of each year, where several thousand people embark on a run that begins in Downtown Plymouth, MA—and proceeds south into the beautiful Standish State Forest…before turning northward and heading back towards the famous Plymouth Harbor Marina.
That’s the famous landing point for those early pilgrims who had traveled from England to the Americas on a 66 day journey on the iconic Mayflower. This week marks the anniversary of their arrival — on November 9, 1620).
Well this race has become something of a local tradition.
Described by past participants as a course with “big, rolling hills,” the race presents numerous challenges — large declines and steep hills. The toughest challenge comes around mile 11, with a huge uphill stretch leading back into town.
After the intense climb, the runners finish by entering again into the beautiful Plymouth Harbor — where the famous Plymouth Rock stands.
Again, this historic race is called: “RUN TO THE ROCK.”
And I share that with you, because…as exciting as that race may be — nothing compares to the race that you and I have been called to run. It’s that which Paul references several times in his letters in the New Testament. In 2 Timothy, near the end of his life, Paul writes to Timothy saying,
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
For Paul, this phrase “I have finished the race” was not a boasting of his endurance or his abilities to navigate the challenges he faced, but rather— A TESTIMONY OF GOD’S GOODNESS AND GRACE to protect him, provide for him, and empower him to accomplish his calling.
It was really — a DECLARATION OF PRAISE unto God for His faithfulness. And, it’s that same sentiment that we find in the words of David from Psalm 18.
So, if you have your Bible, turn there with me. Psalm 18 was penned by the late great King David (somewhere near the beginning of his royal reign as King of Israel).
This psalm was penned early in his life — but some time after his battle with and defeat of the Philistine giant (Goliath). It also seems to come after his other battles with the Philistines army themselves. And even, those difficult years when he was on the run — from his future father-in-law (King Saul).
After 7 years in Saul’s palace, David was forced to live on the run (in the desert) for another 4 years. And during those days, while running for his life, David discovered the benefit of RUNNING TO THE ROCK.
NOT PLYMOUTH ROCK, but another ROCK — “THE ROCK.” The same rock, that Dottie Rambo used to sing about in her gospel song “Go to the Rock.”
Some of you may recall these words:
I go to The Rock for my salvation
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I run to the mountain — and The Mountain stands by me
When all around me is sinking sand
On Christ,the solid rock I stand
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend—I go to The Rock.
That’s a good one isn’t it?
Well, this morning I want to encourage you to RUN TO THE ROCK!
Again, if you’ve got your Bible — look with me at Psalm 18. David begins by saying:
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3 (NIV)
Well, this is a long Psalm — the 4th longest (at 50 verses), but I’m only going to deal with these first three…as they carry the heart and theme of this psalm.
It’s here, that David reveals his view of life. As this psalm testifies: David refused to allow his challenges in life to shape his view of God. Rather, he chose to allow his faith in God to shape his view of life.
What about you? What shapes your perspective in life? Your struggles or your faith in God?
When trouble comes — where do you go? I challenge you to GO TO THE ROCK!
Like David, I challenge you—look over your life with eyes of faith.
Like David, recognize God’s goodness and power and faithfulness.
And, allow Him to be the Rock of your life!
You know, in ancient times — especially in deserts of the near-east, a ROCK was a welcome sight to travelers and sojourners. As we’ll see this morning — the discovery of a large ROCK communicated thoughts of strength and stability, protection and provision, and much more.
And in that light, David describes God as His ROCK. One who is immense, eternal, and immutable (unchanging).
Well, in these first few verses of this psalm, he tells us several things.
The first of which, is that…
1. GOD IS OUR GREATEST SOURCE!
Notice again, in verse 1, David says,
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
Psalm 18:1 (NIV)
And this was his way of saying that everything he needed, he found in God!
David learned early in life to depend upon the Lord for everything he needed.
He opens this song of praise by declaring his love and appreciation for God’s provision. While he may have been the King of Israel, a proven warrior, and a great general — even still — David knew His success was completely dependent upon God’s empowerment.
This is such an important lesson to learn in life!
Even on your greatest day — when you are at your best, your life is still an overflow of God’s provision. His Grace, His Strength, His Empowerment…these are THE real sources of your success and victories in life. And they didn’t begin with you (or me). They come from God alone!
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul articulates this point (In 1 Corinthians 15), where he writes of his own success. But even Paul (who had done so much in life) didn’t take credit for his success. To the contrary, like David, he too points to God as the source. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, he says,
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:!0 (NIV)
In Romans 11:36, Paul pushes this idea further when he writes,
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36 (NLT)
God is our Source! He is the perfect and on-time source for everything we will ever need.
We all need sources in our lives that we can depend on!
A source is — the supplier of something that we can’t produce on our own.
- For example, in our homes, if we want to be warm this winter, then we need a source of energy/ fuel. In my house, that’s a gas line. But it could be the supply of electricity.
- But we also need financial sources, and food sources, and internet source, and more. And with each source of supply — our lives get easier. They’re more enjoyable, and we’re more productive.
But, with each of these natural sources — they are subject to shortages and interruptions in supply.
And, that’s the case for all human resources. They all run the risk of failure. But not God. He is the greatest source.
When you look to God as your Source—He never fails. He will not disappoint. But, you have to receive Him as your source (by faith). You have to respond to His invitation with faith, and put your trust in Him as your provider.
Did you know — that’s actually ONE OF HIS NAMES? In one of the stories of Abraham,God revealed Himself as the SOURCE or the PROVIDER in Genesis 22. It was when God provided him with a “ram in the thicket” to be sacrificed (instead of his son Isaac).
God has always been — and always will be the GREATEST SOURCE in our lives.
When you fail to look to God as the source — and begin to look to yourself or others…your faith is replaced with fear and worry. And when that happens…anxiety increases.
Proverbs 12:25says, “An anxious heart weighs a man down.”
So, the question is — are you TRUSTING IN GOD AS YOUR SOURCE?
When you do, there’s such a peace that enters your life. Because when GOD is YOUR SOURCE — you don’t have to be. You don’t have to stress of how to provide yourself with all you need. He will!
— TRUSTING IN GOD to be your SOURCE is one of the ways to overcome ANXIETY!
That’s why Jesus said in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.”
— Again, when you trust in God to be your source, you will walk in peace.
David learned this! And in verse 1, he declared,
1 I love you, O Lord, — my strength.
SORUN TO THE ROCK — HE’S THE GREATEST SOURCE!
Secondly, David reminds us:
2. GOD IS OUR SAFEST PLACE!
And maybe for you — this is what some of you need to hear today. Maybe you’ve felt like you’ve been under attack, or like the enemy of our lives has been on your trail. Maybe what you really need is a safe place to hide.
Well, if so — hear this…In verse 2, David says:
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:1 (NIV)
So, the second way David says God is like a rock — is that He is our “fortress…refuge…and shield.”In essence, He’s a safe place. A hiding place.
David declares with confidence — that God will protect Him.
When you consider the life that David lived, its no wonder that he finds his security in God alone.
— David was a military man who’s king hated him for no reason.
He often found himself taking refuge within the craggy mountains and rocky places of Judea.
—Those rocks became his home. They brought him security.
—They were like natural shields of protection.
Yet, all along, David knew that it was God who was really THE ONE protecting him. And this happened again and again.
- Like the story in 1 Samuel 22: And that time when David was hiding from Saul (deep) within the Cave of Adullum. David was protected by the ROCKY WALLS of the cave…but he became a source of strength and protection to his men (his band of brothers) who had chosen to follow Him. Along with them were many others who needed someone to protect them. Men who were on the run. Men who were in distress, or indebt, or struggling in life. And the Bible says, David became their captain and protector.
- There’s another story in 1 Samuel 23: Where David runs to a rock in the Wilderness of Maon and finds protection and safety from Saul’s forces who were closing in on him. And like a scene from an old cartoon, Saul’s forces crept forward on one side of the mountain while David’s retreated on the other side of the mountain. But again, God intervened and allowed David to escape. So, David renamed that ROCK…“The Rock of Escape”.
- And there are many other stories like this. Stories filled with Rocks that provided shelter, or provided safety and protection for David and his men.
And in the same way, God is our ROCK of safety…protecting us from our enemy today. Not removing us from the world — but protecting us in it. I know it might be tempting to thing that we should pull back from the threats of the enemy. But that’s not our assignment in life. To the contrary, We have been given a call to stand up and face the challenges of this world IN FAITH.
I really agree with author Dillon Burroughs who says, “(Our) safety comesinournearness to God, NOT in our distance from our enemies.”
The Christian life is not about being withdrawn. We have lives to live for Christ, work to do, ministry to perform, and a witness to bear.
Sometimes troubles and difficulties seem to pile up all around you.
- Maybe you’re going through a time like that right now.
- Maybe you feel like problems are seeking you out and hunting you down.
- Maybe you feel warn down by the attacks of the enemy.
If that’s the case, then like David…remember, you have a hiding place…a place of protection and restoration. Respond to God’s invitation, and RUN TO HIM! Run to the rock and experience the blessing of God’s protection.
He won’t fail you! He won’t abandon you. He won’t let you down!
SO RUN TO GOD — HE’S THE SAFEST PLACE!
Well, the final thing that David says is:
3. GOD IS OUR ULTIMATE HOPE!
In verse 3, David says,
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
I love this, because this was David’s song. I told you that he wrote and sang this early in his life…but he also sang it at the end of his life (in 2 Samuel 22). It’s like this was his theme song in life. It was his victory song,
And this line shows up in a lot of his psalms of praise. It became like second nature for him to trust in God. So, he says, “I call upon the Lord…and I am saved.”
You know what that is? That’s confidence. It’s assurance. It’s certainty. That’s hope!
Now, I know — normally, when we use the word “hope”, we’re usually expressing our uncertainty or doubt. (Like, I HOPE the Bucs win today when they play the Tennessee Titans. But, I don’t have much confidence in that happening.)
But that’s NOT the biblical meaning of the word HOPE. More than “wishful thinking” — BIBLICAL HOPE is a confident belief and deep expectation that God will keep His Word — that He will fulfill His promises.
And for David, that’s what he was demonstrating here — a GENUINE HOPE IN GOD.
He chose to call out to God, and he expected and knew that God would respond!
And of all the descriptors David used to describe God as THE ROCK…this may be the best picture he could use. Because, he was saying — God is SOLID. He’s always dependable. And, He’s completely trustworthy!
SO, PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD!
But…that’s a lot easier said than done — isn’t it?
HOPE doesn’t come easy…it’s almost like our lives are conditioned to doubt. Conditioned to fear. And conditioned to distrust.
So, how to fix that? What can we do? I think the answer is to PREACH…which sound good coming form a preacher. But honestly…we need to preach. Not to others — but to our selves. We need to PREACH TO OURSELVES!
Today, I commission you to PREACH. Preach to yourself, and remind yourself to trust in God. Refuse to despair. Refuse to rehearse your fears. Instead…HOPE IN GOD!
And I the temptation to fear is strong. We all deal with it on some level. Even David did…but when you catch yourself giving in to despair…PREACH.
That’s what David did in Psalm 42:5 when he said,
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)
Nearly 40 years ago, pastor John Piper (who was born in Greenville, SC), was preaching on that verse. And he told his congregation:
“The best sermon you could preach to yourself this week is only three words long: HOPE IN GOD!”
And I say the same thing to you. So do that this week. PREACH to yourself! And put your HOPE in God and His promise to save!
Again, in verse 3, David says,
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
That wasn’t just an experience for David — that’s a prophetic promise for each and everyone of us. God will save us from our enemy if we will cry out to Him. And our greatest enemy is SIN!
Listen, all the things I’ve talked with you about today are promises and realities for those who put their HOPE in Jesus.
John chapter 1 tells the remarkable story of how God can near — by coming in the person of Jesus. He came, he lived, he touched people’s lives, he healed affirmaties, and offered us freedom and salvation through His sacrifice on the cross.
In Matthew 7, He said, the only way to live well — was to build our lives on Him. As he stated:
“Everyone…who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock…the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew…but that house did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock”
Matthew 7:24–25 (NIV)
The BIG QUESTION for you is: HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN FOUNDED UPON THAT ROCK?
Have you PUT YOUR HOPE in JESUS?
If not…would you do that today? I challenge you to settle that issue (once and for all).
Build your HOPE and life on Jesus. We live in a world that is always shifting — filled with uncertainty. But know this — Jesus remains unshakable! He is our ultimate HOPE and He can be trusted.
CLOSING:
So, as we prepare to close today — I urge you…RUN TO THE ROCK!
RUN TO THE ROCK of Jesus today. Look to Him, trust in Him…and make Him your:
Greatest Source, Safest Place, and Ultimate Hope!
PRAYER:
If you’d like to do that today — then would you pause where you are, and pray with me?
Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned and chosen my way over yours too often. But all that changes today. Because, I confess my sin before you. And I confess my faith in Jesus. I believe He faced the cross, and shed His blood, for me. But I also believe that He rose again. So, today — I put my faith in Jesus. Save me and give me the true life that I was destined to live. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer today…then like David, you can testify that GOD IS YOUR ROCK! He is your source, your safe place, and your ultimate hope! Amen!