Matthew 16:18 – “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Imagine a massive rock, more immense than Gibraltar. Imagine that it is more mountainous than the Himalayas, higher than Everest, more defined than Rushmore, covers more area than the Appalachians, and has within it more power than Mount Saint Helens. There is such a Rock, and it is the Rock upon which the church of Jesus Christ is built. It is the foundation of Jesus Christ Himself. At this point, it is necessary to distinguish between nominal Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are those who are Christians nominally, but do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. There are those who claim to be born again, but have shown no change in their hearts or lives. To them it is written in I John 2:4 – “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.” It is those who claim a faith where there is no change in the life who provoke James to write, “Faith without works is dead.”
While there are those who shame the gospel of Jesus Christ, there are others who prove that there is power in the gospel of Jesus Christ to change lives, transforming them from bondage to liberty; from sin to sanctification; from wickedness to holiness.
Suppose you are witnessing this Rock of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As you are beholding this great Rock, you notice that a man approaches it. In his hand is a hammer. Though the hammer is small, almost non-existent in comparison to the Rock, the man begins swinging. He angrily swings the hammer, trying to destroy the Rock. After only a few short minutes, beads of sweat roll down his face. He takes a short break, and then proceeds to destroy the Rock. After only one hour, the man, worn out from his vain attempts to destroy the great Rock, swings the last swing from that feeble hammer, the hammer breaks. All that is left in the man’s hand is the handle. After just one hour, he resigns his ambitions and departs. The hammer is destroyed; the Rock remains.
The next day, as you continue to witness, another man comes. He has a different hammer, slightly bigger. He is a somewhat bigger man than the man who was there the day prior. He begins swinging with his hammer at the great Rock. After a few swings, the man is exhausted. Only one hour passes, and the man’s hammer is worn beyond any further use. The hammer is destroyed; the Rock remains.
If you really saw a mountain greater than Everest and a man trying to destroy it with a hammer, you would laugh your way into a padded cell. But the story is true. This very story has been witnessed for centuries. Man has used his efforts, which are no greater than a hammer compared to a mountain, to destroy Christianity. One by one, scoffers have had their turn. Now, more than two thousand years of attacks against the Bible, Christianity, Jesus Christ, the church of the living God, the Holy Ghost, the blood of Jesus, the message of the cross, and all the other tenets of the faith, Christianity still stands strong, while hammer after hammer is broken, never to be used again.
I do not have time to describe every feeble hammer that has whacked away at this great Rock. But I will mention a few. Governments have had their swings at Christianity. At the time of the birth of the church, the Roman empire tried its best to destroy it. The Colosseum was constructed for the murder of Christians in the first century. Christians were fed to the lions for the amusement of the blood-thirsty crowd. In Nero’s day, Christians were used as human torches. Christians died cruel deaths, simply for being Christians. But this did not destroy the great Rock. As a matter of fact, the church grew rapidly during this time of persecution, as it does during all times of persecution. It was a feeble hammer, and after five centuries, the Roman Empire collapsed. The hammer is broken, and the man who swung it is dead. The Roman Empire is gone, but the church of Jesus Christ goes on triumphantly after two millenniums.
Other governments have had their hour of swinging. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and other communist governments have tried to kill the church of Jesus Christ. But these men are gone. They killed themselves swinging the hammer. The mountain remains, but those who swung hammer are gone. Communist China persecutes Christians at this very day. But the church of Jesus Christ that exists in China is strong. The true church there is the underground church. Attending an underground church, if caught, means prison, at best. But even if it means prison or death, those valiant Christians would rather serve the Christ who died for them than to live as a coward in a palace. In spite of the great persecution there, the church is strong. The government is swinging, but the damage done to the church by the hammer in China is not even noticeable!
Philosophers have had their hour swinging at the great Rock. Atheists have had their day, but have resigned. I have talked to people about Voltaire. I ask ordinary people, “Do you know who Voltaire was?” More than once, the answer has been, “No, who was he?” He died fighting the Bible and God Almighty. But, the sorry hammer of atheism is in shambles. After his death, the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire’s house for the printing and distribution of Bibles!
Madeline Murray O’Hare made her mark in American History. She exhausted herself swinging the hammer to destroy the church of Jesus Christ in the United States. However, Madeline Murray O’ Hare was a tremendous failure. She was an idiot in her thinking, wicked in her living, vile in her conversation, and most of her debate tactics consisted of angry yelling, because she had a sorry argument. But she swung. Maybe her little hammer could bring down the church in America.
But she proved to be a failure. You say, “Wait a minute! Her efforts ended prayer and Bible reading in public schools.” No, it did not. You who think that her efforts ended prayer and Bible reading in public schools are dead wrong. I attended public school until I graduated high school in 2001. Before I was converted, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Pile, prayed every single day over our lunch. Madeline Murray O’ Hare was a failure. From the time I was saved in 1994 until the time I graduated in 2001, there was prayer in public school EVERY DAY without exception. In my high school, Christian students met from time to time for Bible reading and prayer – IN A CLASSROOM. I could not be found on the grounds of a public school without my Bible. Every chance I got to write for an assignment, I wrote about the things of God and the Bible. And, I am not bragging on myself. By far, I am not the only student who carried my Bible in public school. There were students with whom I attended school that I regard as dedicated Christians. And I do not doubt that there are students today who stand in the public school system for Jesus Christ. Madeline Murray O’ Hare swung the hammer as long as she could. But now, her hammer dwindled. She is in existence somewhere, and one thing is certain – she is no atheist now. She is a firm believer. Her atheism was only temporary. It lasted only a short time – an hour, if you will. But the church of Jesus Christ goes on.
There have been many others who have had their swings at the church of Jesus Christ. But the gospel that I preach is built on a solid foundation – the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. We have an infallible copy of the eternal Word of God, which has outlived every attack against it. Within the church resides the eternal Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, who knows no boundaries. He has gone to the hearts of the bitterest unbelievers, and saved many them by the grace of God. We have a message that has been mocked, but it has and will outlive every message contrary to it. We have the solution for every problem in the world. If the entire world would come to Jesus Christ, there would be no AIDS; there would be no war; there would be no slavery; there would be no crimes; there would be no terrorism from them who worship false idols; and there would be nothing but peace. Some will still fight against Jesus Christ – but their fighting will cease, and the whole world will know – “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!”
Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he; and with twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
“And so,” I thought, “the anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptic blows have beaten upon;
Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers – GONE!”*
*John Clifford
Imagine a massive rock, more immense than Gibraltar. Imagine that it is more mountainous than the Himalayas, higher than Everest, more defined than Rushmore, covers more area than the Appalachians, and has within it more power than Mount Saint Helens. There is such a Rock, and it is the Rock upon which the church of Jesus Christ is built. It is the foundation of Jesus Christ Himself. At this point, it is necessary to distinguish between nominal Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are those who are Christians nominally, but do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. There are those who claim to be born again, but have shown no change in their hearts or lives. To them it is written in I John 2:4 – “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.” It is those who claim a faith where there is no change in the life who provoke James to write, “Faith without works is dead.”
While there are those who shame the gospel of Jesus Christ, there are others who prove that there is power in the gospel of Jesus Christ to change lives, transforming them from bondage to liberty; from sin to sanctification; from wickedness to holiness.
Suppose you are witnessing this Rock of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As you are beholding this great Rock, you notice that a man approaches it. In his hand is a hammer. Though the hammer is small, almost non-existent in comparison to the Rock, the man begins swinging. He angrily swings the hammer, trying to destroy the Rock. After only a few short minutes, beads of sweat roll down his face. He takes a short break, and then proceeds to destroy the Rock. After only one hour, the man, worn out from his vain attempts to destroy the great Rock, swings the last swing from that feeble hammer, the hammer breaks. All that is left in the man’s hand is the handle. After just one hour, he resigns his ambitions and departs. The hammer is destroyed; the Rock remains.
The next day, as you continue to witness, another man comes. He has a different hammer, slightly bigger. He is a somewhat bigger man than the man who was there the day prior. He begins swinging with his hammer at the great Rock. After a few swings, the man is exhausted. Only one hour passes, and the man’s hammer is worn beyond any further use. The hammer is destroyed; the Rock remains.
If you really saw a mountain greater than Everest and a man trying to destroy it with a hammer, you would laugh your way into a padded cell. But the story is true. This very story has been witnessed for centuries. Man has used his efforts, which are no greater than a hammer compared to a mountain, to destroy Christianity. One by one, scoffers have had their turn. Now, more than two thousand years of attacks against the Bible, Christianity, Jesus Christ, the church of the living God, the Holy Ghost, the blood of Jesus, the message of the cross, and all the other tenets of the faith, Christianity still stands strong, while hammer after hammer is broken, never to be used again.
I do not have time to describe every feeble hammer that has whacked away at this great Rock. But I will mention a few. Governments have had their swings at Christianity. At the time of the birth of the church, the Roman empire tried its best to destroy it. The Colosseum was constructed for the murder of Christians in the first century. Christians were fed to the lions for the amusement of the blood-thirsty crowd. In Nero’s day, Christians were used as human torches. Christians died cruel deaths, simply for being Christians. But this did not destroy the great Rock. As a matter of fact, the church grew rapidly during this time of persecution, as it does during all times of persecution. It was a feeble hammer, and after five centuries, the Roman Empire collapsed. The hammer is broken, and the man who swung it is dead. The Roman Empire is gone, but the church of Jesus Christ goes on triumphantly after two millenniums.
Other governments have had their hour of swinging. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and other communist governments have tried to kill the church of Jesus Christ. But these men are gone. They killed themselves swinging the hammer. The mountain remains, but those who swung hammer are gone. Communist China persecutes Christians at this very day. But the church of Jesus Christ that exists in China is strong. The true church there is the underground church. Attending an underground church, if caught, means prison, at best. But even if it means prison or death, those valiant Christians would rather serve the Christ who died for them than to live as a coward in a palace. In spite of the great persecution there, the church is strong. The government is swinging, but the damage done to the church by the hammer in China is not even noticeable!
Philosophers have had their hour swinging at the great Rock. Atheists have had their day, but have resigned. I have talked to people about Voltaire. I ask ordinary people, “Do you know who Voltaire was?” More than once, the answer has been, “No, who was he?” He died fighting the Bible and God Almighty. But, the sorry hammer of atheism is in shambles. After his death, the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire’s house for the printing and distribution of Bibles!
Madeline Murray O’Hare made her mark in American History. She exhausted herself swinging the hammer to destroy the church of Jesus Christ in the United States. However, Madeline Murray O’ Hare was a tremendous failure. She was an idiot in her thinking, wicked in her living, vile in her conversation, and most of her debate tactics consisted of angry yelling, because she had a sorry argument. But she swung. Maybe her little hammer could bring down the church in America.
But she proved to be a failure. You say, “Wait a minute! Her efforts ended prayer and Bible reading in public schools.” No, it did not. You who think that her efforts ended prayer and Bible reading in public schools are dead wrong. I attended public school until I graduated high school in 2001. Before I was converted, my third grade teacher, Mrs. Pile, prayed every single day over our lunch. Madeline Murray O’ Hare was a failure. From the time I was saved in 1994 until the time I graduated in 2001, there was prayer in public school EVERY DAY without exception. In my high school, Christian students met from time to time for Bible reading and prayer – IN A CLASSROOM. I could not be found on the grounds of a public school without my Bible. Every chance I got to write for an assignment, I wrote about the things of God and the Bible. And, I am not bragging on myself. By far, I am not the only student who carried my Bible in public school. There were students with whom I attended school that I regard as dedicated Christians. And I do not doubt that there are students today who stand in the public school system for Jesus Christ. Madeline Murray O’ Hare swung the hammer as long as she could. But now, her hammer dwindled. She is in existence somewhere, and one thing is certain – she is no atheist now. She is a firm believer. Her atheism was only temporary. It lasted only a short time – an hour, if you will. But the church of Jesus Christ goes on.
There have been many others who have had their swings at the church of Jesus Christ. But the gospel that I preach is built on a solid foundation – the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. We have an infallible copy of the eternal Word of God, which has outlived every attack against it. Within the church resides the eternal Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, who knows no boundaries. He has gone to the hearts of the bitterest unbelievers, and saved many them by the grace of God. We have a message that has been mocked, but it has and will outlive every message contrary to it. We have the solution for every problem in the world. If the entire world would come to Jesus Christ, there would be no AIDS; there would be no war; there would be no slavery; there would be no crimes; there would be no terrorism from them who worship false idols; and there would be nothing but peace. Some will still fight against Jesus Christ – but their fighting will cease, and the whole world will know – “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!”
Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith’s door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he; and with twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
“And so,” I thought, “the anvil of God’s Word
For ages skeptic blows have beaten upon;
Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers – GONE!”*
*John Clifford
