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Living Water
The Rock That Brings Forth Living Water
The Rock That Brings Forth Living Water
Dr. J. Vernon McGee
Thru the Bible
And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 17:5, 6)
This is the first mention of the “rock” and the “water” that came out of the rock.
What does the rock represent? We are not left to guesswork or our own speculation or our own wisdom.
The Holy Spirit of God explains it in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 which tells us, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
The bread that Israel ate was manna, which was a picture of Christ, the Bread of Life.
Christ is also the Water of Life, and the rock is a picture of Him.
It contrasts the unbelief of the people (you see, they doubted God here) with the solid rock.
Israel was leaning on cobwebs and broken reeds. The small cloud of doubt was hiding the face of God from them.
The Lord Jesus, as one hymn says, is “a Rock in a weary land.”
Although this is a marvelous picture of Him as the foundation - the One upon whom we rest and the One upon whom the church is built - a rock is the last place we go for a drink of water.
I do not mean to be facetious, but you could not even get hard water from a rock.
Jesus is a Rock, but His beautiful life and durability will not save you. His teachings will not redeem your soul.
The application of the principles taught by the Lord Jesus may polish you a little, but He is still the Rock against which you can dash your foot.
You can fall on the Rock, Christ Jesus, for salvation, but no human effort is able to get water from this Rock.
Only when the rock was smitten did it bring forth life-giving waters.
Jesus was crucified, and nothing short of believing that He died in your place and bore your sins on that Cross will save you.
The smitten rock is a picture of the death of Jesus Christ.
In Numbers we are told a second time that the children of Israel complained that they had no water.
The first time Israel murmured about being thirsty God told Moses to strike the rock and water gushed forth.
In Numbers, however, God gives Moses different instructions.
God tells Moses: “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink” (Numbers 20:8).
Moses was to speak to the rock because the rock had already been smitten.
Christ was crucified nineteen hundred years ago, and when He said on the Cross, “It is finished …” it was indeed finished. (John 19:30)
Christ does not have to be crucified again. God is satisfied with what Jesus did for you.
The question is, “Are you satisfied with the work Christ did for you on the Cross?”
He died to save you. All that God is asking is that you believe in His Son.
From the Rock, Christ Jesus, come spiritual blessings today. The waters of blessing gush forth to relieve parched lips.
Ephesians 1:3 informs us that, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”
The Rock was smitten once and from it flows an abundance of water. The fountain is brim full. The stream is bank full. The world is not able to contain it.
But in spite of that, there are many men’s souls that are shriveled up and tongues that are parched.
Millions of people are dying for want of spiritual drink. The channel is blocked, log-jammed by doubts, corroded by sin, and insulated by indifference.
The channel is also dammed by those who profess to know Jesus Christ but who in reality do not know Him.
Friends, I am disturbed and distressed as I look about.
The world is thirsty. I ask you personally and particularly, have you been to that smitten Rock for a drink of living water?
God says if you drink of that water you will never thirst again. — From Edited Messages on Exodus by J. Vernon McGee
Would you want to have a deeper relationship with God?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You. I receive Your free gift of salvation.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that according to your Word, I am now born again, has eternal life, and I am now Your child.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Please use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
If you have just put your trust in Jesus Christ, you have been born into God’s family.
As a spiritual baby, you need to grow by feeding on God’s Word – the Bible (1 Peter 2:2).
You must have a good modern translation Bible and begin prayerfully reading it. Start in the New Testament, such as the Gospel of John or Paul’s letters to the Ephesians.
Also, you need to join a Christian fellowship where the Bible is taught and where God is truly worshiped.
God bless you as you begin your new life with Him!
John Vernon McGee was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1904. Dr. McGee remarked, "When I was born and the doctor gave me the customary whack, my mother said that I let out a yell that could be heard on all four borders of Texas!" His Creator well knew that he would need a powerful voice to deliver a powerful message.
After completing his education (including a Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary), he and his wife came west, settling in Pasadena, California. Dr. McGee's greatest pastorate was at the historic Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, where he served from 1949 to 1970.
He began teaching Thru the Bible in 1967. After retiring from the pastorate, he set up radio headquarters in Pasadena, and the radio ministry expanded rapidly. Listeners never seem to tire of Dr. J. Vernon McGee's unique brand of rubber-meets-the-road teaching, or his passion for teaching the whole Word of God.
On the morning of December 1, 1988, Dr. McGee fell asleep in his chair and quietly passed into the presence of his Savior.
After completing his education (including a Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary), he and his wife came west, settling in Pasadena, California. Dr. McGee's greatest pastorate was at the historic Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, where he served from 1949 to 1970.
He began teaching Thru the Bible in 1967. After retiring from the pastorate, he set up radio headquarters in Pasadena, and the radio ministry expanded rapidly. Listeners never seem to tire of Dr. J. Vernon McGee's unique brand of rubber-meets-the-road teaching, or his passion for teaching the whole Word of God.
On the morning of December 1, 1988, Dr. McGee fell asleep in his chair and quietly passed into the presence of his Savior.
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