On Christ the Solid Rock
Thesis In the floods of cultural opposition and personal failure, Christians must abandon all unstable ground—cultural consensus, hope in earthly fairness, self-confidence—and cling solely to Christ the solid rock, whose character is unchanging, whose substitutionary work covers our unfaithfulness, and whose identity as divine judge makes Him the only opinion that ultimately matters.
The shape of the argument
6 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.
- personal story · unit #4 — Personal story about the pastor's father narrowly escaping a flash flood at Elephant Butte by clinging to rocks all night, establishing the central metaphor for the sermon—clinging to solid rock amid rising waters.
Full transcript
0 · Opening prayer for Tom and Lisa's transition to Sovereign Grace Church of Tucson, asking God's blessing on them and the receiving church, and praying the congregation would continue to hold all leaders with an open hand, joyfully sending them where God calls
gospel ministry in this church. Uh, Lord, we— these moments as a church are, are always bittersweet. Even— well, this isn't the moment, but anticipating that moment when they leave is, is bittersweet for us. And so I pray for Tom and Lisa that through this transition, you would be with them, your hand would be on them. The administrative details needed, uh, to, to, to happen to make this take place— I pray that they would not be stressful or a strain.
I, I pray that there would be many moments of private joy as they look back on years spent with our church and years spent with the men and women of this place. I pray that you would be in this, Lord. We pray for Sovereign Grace Church of Tucson, who's going to be receiving Tom as a pastor. We pray that there would be a receptivity and an excitement there, that as Tom moves toward full-time ministry and is going to be in many cases the person that that folks are meeting with when they have a pastoral care issue or saying, hey, can I talk about my marriage? He's going to be having many of those conversations.
I just pray you'd prepare that church for him, for his ministry. Go before him. And I pray for our church that we would always be, Father, a church that holds everyone here with an open hand, that every leader that we have, even the most beloved leaders, Lord, we hold with an open hand and say, Lord, only one life will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last. And allow us to send and release folks to where you're calling them.
We want to be part of that. We want to be a church marked by a joyful desire to send for the sake of Christ. And we pray that that would continue to mark us. In Jesus' name, amen.
1 · The pastor frames the sermon by explaining unexpected travel difficulties left him preaching from handwritten notes rather than his usual typed manuscript, using this to illustrate the sermon's theme: human preparations are unstable, but God's Word is always trustworthy and stable
All right, well, if you would turn in your Bibles with me to Mark chapter chapter 14.
If you don't have a copy of God's Word, you can grab one of those at the back table.
Now, I will give you a warning before I get into the message, and the warning is this: I— we had a marriage retreat this week, and I got my outline together, my rough outline together for the text and the message today. Before I left, and I thought, I will work on it in the few moments I have in between things on the, you know, on the retreat. And I got my laptop out and I said, great, I just need the power cord. And the power cord was not in the suitcase. So I thought, no problem, no problem.
I trust the Lord with this. Power cord is at home. I will get home in time to kind of put my kids to bed. And last night, you know, I was planning last night, I'll type the notebook notes I have. I handwrote a bunch of notes.
I'll write some handwritten notes and then I'll transfer them, I'll type them out. And then our plane was— actually, I don't know what happened to the plane. All they told us was we were on a plane and the pilot used the term, "We have a small, a relatively small leak coming from our engine." And he said, well, we don't know, it might not be that bad. And every passenger is like, yeah, I'm not flying on this plane. So they got us off the plane, got us to another plane, sent us all the way up to Vegas.
We came back, got in probably at our house at midnight, did not do that. So this is what I usually preach from, these are my notes.
This is what I want you to get. These notes feel more unstable and less trustworthy than they ever have. But this is just as trustworthy and stable as it has ever been. Amen.
2 · Full reading of Mark 14:50-72, presenting the narrative structure Mark uses—disciples fleeing, Peter's three denials bookending the central scene of Jesus' faithfulness before the Sanhedrin
So let's stand for the reading of God's word.
We're going to read actually at length today, and I want you to take particular note of how the section we read begins and ends and what we find in the middle. Mark is a master storyteller through the inspiration of the Spirit. We're going to begin reading in Mark chapter 14, verse 50. This is God's Word, verse 50. And they all left him and fled.
And a young man followed him with nothing but a linen cloth about his body, and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. And they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and all the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter had followed him at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he was sitting with the guards and warming himself by the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.
For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false false witness against him, saying, 'We heard him say, "I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in 3 days I will build another, not made with hands."' Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, 'Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?' But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the chief priests asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed And Jesus said, I am.
And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven. And the high priest tore his garments and said, what further witnesses do we need? You've heard his blasphemy. What is your decision? And they all condemned him as deserving death.
And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, Prophesy! And the guards received him with blows. And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, 'You also were with the Nazarene Jesus.' But he denied it, saying, 'I neither know nor understand what you mean.' And he went out into the gateway, and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders that, 'This man is one of them.' But again he denied it.
And after a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, 'Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.' But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, 'I do not know this man of whom you speak.' And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows twice, 'You will deny me 3 times.' And he broke down and wept. This is God's Word.
3 · Brief prayer asking God to bless the congregation through the preaching of His Word
Father, we pray for the blessing of your people through the preaching of your Word. Amen.
You may take a seat.
4 · Personal story about the pastor's father narrowly escaping a flash flood at Elephant Butte by clinging to rocks all night, establishing the central metaphor for the sermon—clinging to solid rock amid rising waters
Well, one of the stories that my dad told us over and over— I think probably every dad— is this true that every dad has some stories that they just tell over and over? And that, uh, that when the kids let the dad know, Dad, we have heard this one, they are undissuaded until they get to the end. One of those stories I grew up with was my dad telling the epic tale of his near-death experience. I think at Elephant Butte, if my memory is serving me. Well, the story goes like this, that he, my dad, and some friends in, I think, high school were were out camping at Elephant Butte.
They had a tent. And as they're in the tent and they're all asleep, they wake up to water rushing into the tent. In fact, actually, I think my dad described his hand was hanging off, you know, something, the little cot thing, and felt water. And he woke up with water on his hand and they freak out. And they began to realize it's been raining.
It's been raining upstream. There's water pouring in definitely be the Elephant Butte, the area is quickly rising and flooding and they're looking around for some way to escape. But for whatever reason, several avenues that they'd normally use were getting washed out or flooded. They're washing, their gear gets swept away, their tent gets swept away. So what they ended up doing is finding a rocky area and essentially climbing and climbing and climbing up this rocky kind of, this rocky area and basically clinging all night until the rain stopped to these rocks for dear life.
Great story. Such a good story. I don't know if it's true, but that's what he told us.
5 · The pastor expounds the flood metaphor, showing how Jesus' betrayal swept away His ministry, His disciples (Mark fleeing naked, Peter denying three times), creating the narrative sandwich structure—faithlessness at both ends with Jesus' faithfulness in the middle
So in our text, that's the feel of what is happening. Very quickly, Jesus is betrayed.
He's handed over. And all of a sudden, this flood of opposition is sweeping everything away. All of Jesus' ministry, it feels like, is being swept away. All the good that he's done is being swept away. Swept away.
And you see immediately the disciples are being swept away. Verse 50, and they all left him and fled. And you think, okay, surely not everyone. Well, yes, two people did not. The first we will see is probably Mark, the guy that's running after him with a linen cloth.
And yet when he faces opposition and they seize him, he's so desperate to escape, he leaves his clothes behind. And runs away naked. That's the first bookend of the text. The second bookend of the text is the Apostle Peter. Now that first bookend is Mark, the writer of this gospel.
He only appears once in the gospel and it is right there. And the one providing the content of the gospel, of the Gospel of Mark, is Peter. Peter, so the writer and the guy providing the stories for the Gospel, Peter the Apostle, the brave one, the one who just said, even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You. That Peter ends up denying Him not once, not twice, but 3 times. It feels like the flood of opposition is sweeping everything away.
Recent preaching context
The three sermons immediately preceding this one in the preaching schedule.
Discuss · apply · pray
Mark 14:62
And Jesus said, 'I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.'
Why this verse: This is the only moment in the passage where Jesus speaks with unshakable authority and clarity—declaring His divine identity and ultimate judgment while all around Him disciples flee and deny Him. It anchors the sermon's central claim: Christ alone is the solid rock, unchanging in character and certain in His role as divine judge, and therefore the only opinion and foundation that ultimately matters.
When We Fail, We Cling to the Rock
This prompt invites kids to think about what happens when we mess up—not as a shame spiral, but as a chance to grab onto something solid outside ourselves. Listen for whether they're tempted to hide their failure or to turn to Jesus. That's the pivot the sermon makes.
In the sermon, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times when he got scared. Instead of hiding or giving up, what do you think would have happened if Peter had remembered that Jesus was still good and still in control, even when Peter failed? Who or what do you grab onto when you mess up?
6 questions for your group this week
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In Mark 14:50-72, what do you notice about the contrast between what the disciples do and what Jesus does during His trial?Mark 14:50-72→ What does each group's behavior reveal about where they are placing their confidence—in cultural acceptance, in their own strength, or in something else?
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Peter denies Jesus three times, and the sermon calls this 'sinking sand'—unstable ground. Where in your own life do you feel pressure to deny or downplay your faith in order to avoid rejection or conflict?
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The sermon identifies three forms of sinking sand: cultural consensus, hope in earthly fairness, and self-confidence. Which of these three is most tempting to you right now, and why?→ What does it look like to rely on that sinking sand instead of on Christ?
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What does it mean that Christ is 'the solid rock' in this passage? How is His unchanging character different from the unstable ground the disciples are standing on?
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The sermon teaches that Christ's substitutionary work covers our unfaithfulness—meaning His faithfulness makes up for our failure. How does this truth change the way you respond when you, like Peter, fail or deny your faith?→ What would it look like this week to 'cling to Christ' instead of hiding in shame or trying to fix it yourself?
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If Christ is the only opinion that ultimately matters—the divine judge—how should that reshape the way you make decisions or speak up about your faith when cultural pressure is high?
When We Fail, We Cling to Christ
- What did you hear in this sermon about your own tendency to sink—whether into cultural pressure, hope in fairness, or confidence in yourself? Where did that conviction land?
- In our marriage, where do we lean on unstable ground together—consensus around us, fairness from the world, or our own strength—instead of clinging to Christ as our solid rock?
- How can we pray for each other this week to remember that when we fail, we don't despair or hide, but turn together toward Christ's unchanging character and His work on our behalf?
Father, Make Us Cling to the Solid Rock
Father, we come before You in awe of Your unchanging character. In a world of shifting opinions and crumbling certainties, You stand firm. Your word does not change. Your judgment is righteous. Your Son is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We marvel that while cultures rage and nations fall away, You remain—solid, dependable, the only Rock worthy of our trust.
Yet we confess, Father, that we are like the disciples in the garden. We flee when opposition comes. We deny You with our choices, our silence, our secret shame. We build our lives on the sand of cultural approval, hoping that earthly fairness will save us, trusting in our own strength until we stumble and fall. We have abandoned You for easier ground, and we have failed You far more than we want to admit. Forgive us.
But here is the good news: while we were faithless, Christ remained faithful. He stood silent before His accusers. He bore the weight of our unfaithfulness in His own body. His substitutionary work covers every denial, every failure, every time we sank into the sand. He is the judge of all the earth, and His verdict over us is: forgiven, beloved, held. In Him, we are no longer orphans—we are children of the God who cannot be moved.
So teach us, Father, to cling to Christ when the floods come. Grant us courage to stand firm in His identity, not in the shifting opinions of this age. When we fail—and we will fail—keep us from despair, from self-reliance, from hiding. Instead, drive us to Jesus, who is our only stable ground. Make us a people who trust not in earthly outcomes but in His eternal character. We commit ourselves this week to abandoning the sinking sand and building our lives on the Solid Rock. All glory to You, through Christ, forever. Amen.
5-day reading plan
This week we trace the contrast between our sinking sand and Christ the solid rock—from the disciples' flight to Peter's denial to Jesus' steadfast silence, learning where our confidence belongs when pressure comes.
Jesus teaches that a life built on His words stands firm when the storms come, while a life built on anything else collapses. The sermon's core claim finds its deepest root here: the contrast between rock and sand is not a metaphor for effort or sincerity—it is about the *foundation itself*. What are you building your decisions, your identity, your response to opposition upon this week?
While the world shifts its opinions and pressures mount, God's character remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. The disciples fled because they trusted in circumstances and safety; Jesus remained silent and steadfast because He trusted in His Father's unchanging nature. Peace in upheaval does not come from controlling outcomes—it comes from resting in a God who cannot change.
Peter, the denier, later wrote that Christ 'bore our sins in his body on the tree.' The same Peter who could not stand firm for an hour found his courage rooted not in his own steadiness but in Christ's finished work on his behalf. When you fail—and you will—the gospel does not ask you to hide or perform penance. It invites you to return to the rock that has already paid the price.
The Sanhedrin condemned Jesus; history has vindicated Him. The disciples thought His arrest meant failure; the resurrection declared it redemption. Jesus Himself said the Father has given all judgment to the Son—which means when you stand before Him, no earthly court, no cultural verdict, no personal shame can override His declaration over you. Whose judgment are you living under today?
Paul writes that God presented Christ as a 'propitiation'—the place where God's justice and mercy meet. Peter denied Jesus and felt the weight of that failure; the way forward was not self-recrimination or renewed effort to be better, but return to the rock. This week, where have you sunk into shame, self-reliance, or hiding? The call is the same: cling to Christ, not as a feeling, but as a *fact about who covers you*.
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# Cross of Grace Church A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible. ## Sermons - [The Posture of Kindness (Ruth 3:1-15, 2021-12-12)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/12/the-posture-of-kindness) - [The King of Kindness (Ruth 4:17-22, 2021-12-26)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/12/the-king-of-kindness) - [Written On His Hands (Isaiah 49:14-16, 2022-01-09)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/01/written-on-his-hands) - [On Christ the Solid Rock (Mark 14:50-72, 2022-01-30)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/01/on-christ-the-solid-rock) ## About - [About the church](/about) - [Plan a visit](/visit)
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