Isa. 18:31; Isa. 32:1-2

Psalms:18:31: For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

Isa:32:1-2 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Introduction:

A. The song, "Rock of Ages" has an illustrious history. A boy preacher preached a sermon in a service being held in a barn in Ireland. The preacher is unknown, and the service was a flop, as only one little boy was converted. The little boy who was saved in that service was named Gus.

When Gus grew up to be a young man he felt God had called him to preach. He did not live long, only 38 years, then God called him home. During his life he preached thousands of sermons, wrote hundreds of poems, and composed 133 songs. Gus's full name is Augustus Montague Toplady.

B. The occasion for the song, "Rock of Ages:" Mr. Toplady was returning to his home in Bristol, England, when a severe storm arose. He saw this huge rock with a cleft in it. He took shelter in the cleft of that rock. It was there, during that violent storm that he wrote this immortal song.

C. Our God is truly The Rock of Ages. He is---

I. An Eternal Rock

Psa. 90:1-2 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations./ Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.

A. Some may ask, "Where did God come from? He had to have a beginning." Wrong. He does not have to have a beginning. He has always been. He has always been, and He always shall be. He is the Eternal being.

II. A Foundation Rock
     1 Cor. 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

A. The importance of a good foundation.

Matt. 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand; And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell:

Illustration: In our city, as you are aware, we have had untold problems with the high school building. The superstructure has been a headache for years. The walls have cracked and have had to be patched. The roof has pulled apart, and has had to be redone. There have been any number of problems. The problem is that there is a flaw in the foundation. The people who built the building years ago did not do a good job on the foundation.

B. We hear the question asked so often, "Where do you stand on this issue? What is your belief about this minor point of doctrine?" I'll tell you where we had better be standing; we had better be standing on the Rock of Ages - Jesus Christ.

Illustration: It is said of C. H. Spurgeon, as death was upon him, that his last few words were, "My theology has become very simple; Jesus died for me."

III. A Sustaining Rock

Psa. 61:1-3 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

A. The word, "overwhelmed" means to be overcome, or covered up. It is to have the burdens and cares of life become so many and so heavy that you feel you can't carry them any longer.

B. In the Rock of Ages you will find help for life's difficult times.
     Isa. 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

IV. A Rock of Refuge
     Psa. 94:22b�my God is the rock of my refuge.

Illustration: The hounds were after a little rabbit. The rabbit ran under a big rock. There it was safe.