Lesson 8 Hearing the Message of the Cross
Questions 6 and 7
The Rock of Christ
The Old Testament teaches this same thing. Look with me:
"The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 The LORD answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”
Exodus 17:1-6 (NIV)
In Exodus 17:1-6 NIV, we read the account of thirsty Israelites who needed water, and in their discomfort, they angrily complained to Moses. It was sinful for the people to murmur against God and their leader, Moses. In response to their plight, God told Moses to strike a rock with his rod, and when Moses did this, fresh, sweet water came out for the thirsty people.
Isn't that an odd solution - to strike a rock? It's as if the rock was being punished instead of the people, and yet after the rock was struck, fresh, life-giving water poured out to quench the thirst of the people.
Question 6. In 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, the Bible tells us that this rock was Christ. How can you see the gospel in Exodus 17:1-6 NIV?
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For the people to drink water, the rock had to be struck! Hit! Beat! This rock being struck in the wilderness is a picture of the cross of Jesus Christ, "for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Yes, Christ was struck and beaten on the cross to remove your sin and make you right with God (Isaiah 53:4-6)! After His crucifixion and resurrection from the dead, the "water" of the Holy Spirit flowed. See John 7:37-39 for more detail!
God was teaching this lesson: Jesus Christ had to be struck, to die on a cross for your sins. He was punished in your place to give you peace with God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Walking by Faith
And as we hear and believe this message, we who are thirsty - that is, we who have been unsatisfied and experiencing unfulfilled longs and trying to drink in the thrills from substances - receive the flowing river of the Holy Spirit.
Friend, understand this: the Holy Spirit resides at the cross, He flows from Jesus' death. If we want His transforming power, we must go where He is flowing, and we must drink! That is, we must often come to the cross and see and believe the message that it tells us: you are forgiven because Jesus paid your debt of sin, you are accepted, you are loved and highly valued! God gave His Son for you (John 3:16)! Jesus gave His life for you (1 John 3:16)! Believe it!
Now, let's make a summary of today's lesson: we have lived a long time turning to substances and have probably tried many different things to be free from them. Now, we must learn how to "walk by the Spirit," for when we do, we will not gratify the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:16). Isn't that tremendously exciting? It means freedom; real heart freedom is available to us!
But this also means we must consciously hear the gospel message, and believe it, daily! As we receive afresh the message of the cross, we find the Holy Spirit's miraculous presence working in us and flowing through us.
The Holy Spirit then empowers us to deny our flesh, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. We learn to walk (move forward) by the Holy Spirit who leads us away from a life of gratifying our flesh.
Friend, there is a way to be free from substance abuse - that way is to be continually Washing at the cross so that we can be Walking by the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
Question 7. Please state what you learned from this lesson today:
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In the next lesson, we will see how to war against the flesh and have victory in the battle!