The funeral was officiated by three Christian ministers and one Jewish rabbi.
The deceased was a lifelong Christian who had lost her 20-year battle with a debilitating. The three Christian ministers were close members of her family and the Jewish rabbi was a friend she had made at a rehab clinic.
Despite the differences in religion, Christians and Jews often get along with each other in these situations and are often respectful toward each other’s beliefs, and in this situation, I expected no less.
What I did not expect, however, was a Gospel sermon from the Jewish rabbi.
The rabbi was not Messianic, and did not believe in Jesus the way Christians do, yet, as he discussed Psalm 18:2, I was taken by his presentation on the word, “Rock.”
“The LORD is my Rock,” he said, as he quoted the verse. “This word, ‘rock,’ comes from a Hebrew word that has a deep meaning.”
He went on to explain that the “Rock” referred to a cliff, or a steep place, often with a cleft, or a cave hewn out. It was a place to retreat to, and in King David’s case, you often find him in scripture hiding in such caves in the cliffs and up hillsides as he fled from Saul, or Absalom.
Indeed, as David fled to the cliffside caves, we can flee to the Lord. He can be our place of refuge. Psalm 18:2 goes on to discuss the Lord being our strength, our high tower, our castle, basically our defense.
The Lord is our refuge, our deliverer, and our strength. But this rabbi took it one step further.
“This word for ‘rock’ also carries with it the notion of being struck. The rock itself has been struck.”
And he began to talk about how God sacrifices for us. He didn’t go so far as to preach Jesus, but the Gospel parallel was there.
After the funeral, I visited with the rabbi, and brought up how the word “rock,” as he defined it, pointed directly to Jesus.
“Absolutely, it can be interpreted that way,” he said. “And I often speak to Christian churches to show them that.”
We discussed the theology of “rock” for a while before dispersing, and I left there with a new understanding of a verse that I had so often read, but never really considered.
So, the Lord is our Rock. Jesus Christ is our Rock. He is our refuge, our defender, and our deliverer because He was struck for our sins on our behalf.
Life gives us a million reasons to fear. And then, through our own over-thinking, we give ourselves a million more reasons to fear. But… we only need one reason to be at peace, to be courageous and have faith. And that reason is Jesus Christ, the Rock of our salvation.
May God bless you with peace and confidence today.
In 1994, the picture painted for me by many of the adults in my life was bleak. At the age of 16, I had already achieved obsolescence. And this message came from adults in all areas of my life.
My generation was told that the economy we were preparing to enter wouldn’t exist. And while this was technically true, the insinuation was that we would be left out of the future economy, that the opportunities that were afforded our parents would not be afforded to us.
We were told that Japan’s economic power was rising, and if we were to survive in the 21st century, we best be learning Japanese, because that’s who we would be working for.
We were told that American manufacturing is dead, and that the future belonged to those with college degrees. Don’t go into the trades. Don’t learn mechanics or welding, or the building trades.
We were told we were going to be crushed by the economic load we would inherit. With a skyrocketing national debt, and with there being five Baby Boomers on Social Security for every Gen-X’er in the work force, we should expect most of our income to go to taxes.
I could go on, but the point is, all the negativity, pessimism and hopelessness being peddled to my generation turned out to be completely false.
True, the economy I grew up in no longer exists, and neither does that world or society. But, there’s opportunity here. The world has changed, but life is still good.
We no longer fear the Japanese. It’s the Chinese we fear now. Chances are, we’ll see the same result.
Manufacturing is alive and well, with new facilities being built in Texas and across the American South, with technology and energy production driving much of that growth.
Those who ignored the bad advice and went into the trades are doing quite well now.
Social Security has not imploded, and the Millennials along with a robust economy have helped Gen-X make sure the Social Security checks clear.
Life is different, but still good. Sometimes I grieve the changes, and I feel nostalgic for the way we did things back in the 90s, but overall, life is good.
As I visit with my 22-year-old son, I hear the same hopelessness that was sold to me being sold to him. He is being told he’ll never be able to own a house. In fact, he may never own anything according to what he’s being told.
He’s being told the corporations are stealing everything, the Chinese will replace us as the world’s superpower, and that he’ll never achieve the same standard of living that I did. (And I am far from being in the upper class.)
I can’t for the life of me imagine that he’s the only one being told this. And, unlike me, who heard these lies in small doses, he’s inundated with this via social media and the internet.
So, in addition to the Gospel, what I want to tell these kids is… “It’s all going to be okay.”
Do not be discouraged by the despair that is being pushed on you by miserable people who seek relief by placing their misery upon your shoulders. The things you fear will never happen. The things they fear will never happen.
And faith is key to finding peace in a world that pushes fear.
In Psalm 16, David says, “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”
David has placed his faith (trust) in God, is praying that the Lord preserves him, and is trusting the Lord to preserve him.
David’s faith was likely based on his experiences. On numerous occasions God stepped in for David, delivered him and preserved him. It was God’s intervention that made him king to begin with.
David’s identity was interwoven with God’s hand on his life, and therefore he could find peace and joy in the Lord, and in life, even when everything around him failed.
Therefore, David was able to “set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” (Verse 8).
David goes on to make a profound statement in verse 10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
That verse does two things. One, it expresses faith in God that He will not abandon David in his time of suffering. He will not leave his soul in hell. Pain is short, troubled times pass, but God remains, always.
More importantly, however, is that this is a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Christ. One reason for us to be optimistic and trust the Lord is that Christ rose again.
And the resurrection of Christ conquered death, so that we can inherit eternal life and enter into God’s Kingdom when our lives here on earth are over. Furthermore, the resurrection of Christ provides us a divine advocate, as the resurrected Jesus sits at the right hand of God pleading for us on a daily basis.
And even further, the resurrection proves God’s power and His desire and ability to do good to us.
So, on that note, David reaffirms his faith in the Lord, and takes on an optimistic outlook on life as he dwells in His presence.
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11).
The world is going to change. It’s been constantly changing and evolving at an increasing pace since World War II. But if you trust in the Lord and follow His leadership, you will find joy and pleasure in life, no matter what the world looks like in the future.
I can’t lie to my doctor. He always learns the truth.
I can emphatically promise my doctor that I’ve been eating right, exercising, and taking my medications as directed. However, when his nurse checks my blood pressure, heart-rate and blood sugar, we will learn the truth.
If I have not been making the right choices, if I have been eating badly, and not exercising, my blood pressure rises, as does my A1c. High blood pressure and bad A1c readings mean that I’ve been making bad choices. The proof is in the proverbial pudding.
I don’t eat badly and fail to exercise because I have high blood pressure, I have high blood pressure because I eat badly and fail to exercise.
So, the solution is to fix my diet and exercise habits, and in my particular case, the blood pressure and A1c correct themselves.
When scripture describes a righteous man, it is describing the outward appearance of a man who has a deep-rooted faith in the Lord in his heart. The man does not do the things demonstrated in scripture in order to become righteous, he does those things because he is righteous.
For example, in Psalm 15, King David asks, “LORD, Who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?”
The answer is simple, and is given in verse 2, “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”
That phrase, “in his heart” is key. Because without that phrase, one may get the impression that, to enter into the Lord’s heaven, one must walk uprightly, work righteousness, speak the truth, don’t gossip or backbite, and honor those who fear the Lord.
So, under this misinterpretation, one may be tempted to think that as long as they are fair to others, do good things, preach the word, and speak well of others, they’re ready to enter into God’s Kingdom. However, that not only contradicts the Bible’s message of salvation by grace through faith apart from works, but it also describes those who will face condemnation on judgment day after leading an entire lifetime of self-righteousness and self-deceit.
So, the proper way to interpret Psalm 15 is with the greater understanding of the central message of the Bible. Therefore, the reader can understand that the one who speaks the truth “in his heart,” is the one who has the faith in his heart.
The one who has the faith in his heart has been declared righteous by God. And when your faith is that deeply rooted, it shapes your character, and your life is marked by the characteristics listed throughout Psalm 15.
In essence, you should trust in the Lord, and the works will follow. The works then become a Spiritual blood pressure test to check your Spiritual health.
Brother Kelly Moore, former pastor of Rocky Springs Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, TX, demonstrated living under grace to me through his personal example probably better than anyone I had ever known.
While he served as the pastor of Rocky Springs, I began to have some personal problems in my life. I contacted Bro. Moore for help, who immediately dropped everything and made the five hour trip to Brownwood to offer his support.
As I began to lay out what was happening in my life, he began to ask me, “How’s your prayer life? How’s your Bible reading going? How much time are you spending with God? How much time are you spending on your ministry and with your church?”
My answers to these questions were not good. Bro. Moore then used my answers to demonstrate to me that my main problem wasn’t my situation, but rather the fact that I had drifted from God. He led me through a self-examination of my works as a Spiritual blood pressure test to reveal that there was a problem.
I wasn’t in trouble because my prayer life slipped. I was in trouble because my Spiritual walk slipped, as indicated by my lax prayer and devotional life. The other problems were mere extensions of that main problem.
So, with all that said, we want to keep our Spiritual health in check. Stay in the Lord’s presence through prayer, Bible reading, and worship. Trust in the Lord, and endeavor to strengthen that faith.
And then, as you go, evaluate your life. If you don’t like what you see, you can change your habits, but the Spiritual change inside your heart will provide the basis to make the lasting change.
So, there were the Israelites. God had delivered them from the bondage of Egypt, saved them from the Egyptian army by parting the Red Sea, allowing them to pass on dry ground, led them with the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, fed them with the manna and provided water for them, but here they stood on the edge of the Promised Land, uncertain if God will help them.
God told them to go into the land and take it. Instead, they sent in spies. Of the 12 spies that went in, 10 said the land was unconquerable. Only 2 said they could take it, because God was with them. The Israelites refused to go into the land and began considering whether to go back to Egypt.
This is the day the Lord calls “the provocation,” or “the day of temptation.” This is the day the Israelites unequivocably told God, “We don’t trust you.”
There is no greater sin against God than that… the sin of unbelief. The sin of refusing to trust Him.
Conversely, there’s no greater way to please God than to simply trust Him. It’s faith that impresses God. It was the faith of the centurion that caused Jesus to marvel. It was Abel’s faith that pleased God with his sacrifice. It was Abraham’s faith that made God want to make him the father of many nations.
It was David’s faith that labeled him, “A man after God’s own heart.”
But the Israelites in the wilderness?
They saw the plagues of Egypt. They experienced the deliverance through the Red Sea. They were fed miraculously. They witnessed the power of Mount Sinai.
Yet, here they are in the Promised Land, with God leading them in, and they refused to follow, because they didn’t believe. That, according to Hebrews 3, is what provoked the Lord to anger.
God then told the Israelites that they (that current generation) would never enter into the Promised Land. They would wander in the wilderness for 40 years before He would lead their children in.
As I sit here and type this, I wonder how they could be so faithless, after seeing God do so many mighty works in their presence. But then I think about my own faithlessness.
How often have I seen God come through for me. How often has He delivered me, carried me through a storm, and answered my prayers. Seeing God’s history of caring for me, why do I fear, even though the current storm seems to rage longer than the ones before?
This lack of faith comes from the hardness within my heart, which comes from me forgetting Who the Lord really is. I forget His love, His grace, His goodness and His character.
So, I allow my heart to become hardened with bitterness and unbelief sets in, which sets the stage for sin, and possibly a spectacular downfall.
Hebrews 3 gives us the remedy for this. Hebrews 3 encourages us to get to know the Lord better, to be vigilant against the hardening of our own hearts, to watch for unbelief creeping into our lives, and to gather together and encourage each other in our faith.
Wednesday night, 10/8/25, at 7 p.m., we will take a closer look at Hebrews 3 at First Baptist Church of Hermleigh, 483 Harlan Ave, Hermleigh, TX. We’d love to see you!
Leland Acker 