Christ the Solid Rock Amid the Raging Sea
When the chaotic sea of trials and opposition rises like a beast, the waves crashing and raging against your faith, where will you find solid ground on which to stand?
There are many themes that can be traced through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. One of them is the theme of dry land emerging from chaotic waters. Throughout Scripture, the chaotic waters represent the sinful nations and kingdoms of earth, stirred by the spirit of antichrist at work in the world.
Likewise, Christ is always represented as the solid rock on which we stand, the foundation on which our faith is built, the ark of our salvation.
On the 3rd Day
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.
Genesis 1.9-13 [NKJV]
On the 3rd day of creation, God parts the seas and raises the dry land. He then clothes it with fruitfulness. This becomes a pattern that is repeated throughout the Scriptures in various ways and in diverse contexts.
In Genesis 8.13, God causes the floodwaters to recede and reveal the dry land once more. Man can’t live on the sea permanently. But on the dry land, we have a home.
God’s promise in Genesis 9.11-15 establishes a covenant assuring us that the waters will never again destroy all life.
Deliverance Through the Waters
In Exodus, when God’s people are trapped between a hostile Egyptian army and the Red Sea, God commands Moses:
But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. [Exodus 14.16 NKJV]
Once again, the sea is divided, creating dry ground for His people.
The account goes on to describe the waters as a wall on either side as the people pass through the sea. Those walls of water must have felt threatening and it required faith in the Lord to walk between them. But because of the Lord’s power, the sea is restrained and His people are delivered.
God is Our Refuge Amid the Raging Sea
In the Psalms, we are reminded that God is our refuge in the midst of danger and chaos.
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Selah
[Psalm 46.1-3 NKJV]
When the waters roar, the earth may tremble, but we have no cause for fear because God is our refuge and strength.
But if we rewind slightly, Psalm 2 uses similar language but in reference to the nations of the earth.
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
[Psalm 2.1-6 NKJV]
Here, the nations and kingdoms of earth are portrayed as raging like the sea in Psalm 46, but Christ overcomes them.
So if we begin to think of the seas and a metaphor for the nations, other passages begin to take on new meaning.
You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.
[Psalm 104.5-9 NKJV]
Not only did God promise that He wouldn’t destroy the earth with a flood, but we are reminded that God has set boundaries for the kingdoms of the earth. They are not sovereign, He is.
The prophet Jeremiah writes:
Do you not fear Me?’ says the LORD.
“Will you not tremble at My presence,
Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea,
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?
And though its waves toss to and fro,
Yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
[Jeremiah 5.22 NKJV]
The sea cannot exceed God’s decree, and neither can the kings of this earth. Though they roar and fume, make war, and persecute the church, they cannot go beyond God’s sovereign bounds.
From the Sea to the Solid Rock in Christ
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.” [Daniel 7.1-3, 17 NKJV]
Daniel saw a vision of beasts coming out of the sea. He is told that these beasts are kings of the earth. So here is an explicit connection between the sea and the antichrist kingdoms of this earth.
Christ Our Dry Land
When we get to the New Testament, we find that Christ has power over the sea. He commands, and it obeys (Luke 8.22-25). He tramples it under His feet (Matthew 14.25).
And when the Apostle Paul summarizes the gospel for the Corinthians he writes:
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, [1 Corinthians 15.3-4 NKJV]
According to which Scriptures was Christ raised on the 3rd day? My bible cross references the 3rd day of creation in Genesis 1, in which God raised the dry land out of the sea.
When Christ rose from the grave, He brought new life and victory over the chaos of sin and death in this fallen world.
Our baptism, in water, is a vivid picture of our being raised with Christ, our of the sea of this world, to stand on the solid ground of Christ and His resurrection.
The Final Victory Over the Sea
In Revelation, John follows Daniel’s example of picturing the antichrist kingdoms of this earth as beasts from the sea (Revelation 13.1)
Like Daniel, he is told what his vision meant.
Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” [Revelation 17.15 NKJV]
And then, when John sees a vision of the new heaven and new earth, he writes:
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. [Revelation 21.1 NKJV]
This symbolizes the end of the chaos of this world and the kingdoms of men that rage and storm against God and against His Christ.
I don’t believe it means there won’t be an ocean of water in the new earth, but it does mean there won’t be kingdoms of mean chaotically striving for mastery against the rule and reign of Christ.
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. [Revelation 21.27 NKJV]
The antichrist world of men will not enter the everlasting kingdom of Christ in the new heavens and earth.
Conclusion
In this life, we face the raging sea of sin, corruption, and worldly powers. Yet Christ is our Solid Rock, the dry land on which His people stand secure. He has set a perpetual boundary for the chaos of this world. A boundary which it shall not pass. In the new creation, the sea of rebellion will be gone forever, leaving only the eternal stability and peace of God’s kingdom.
Stand firm on Christ, and you will never fear the raging of the sea of the kingdoms of this earth.
- Finding Stability Amid Life’s Chaos
- Step 1: Begin each day with prayer. Ask God to guard your heart against fear and anxiety.
- Step 2: Memorize Psalm 46:1-3 to meditate on when stressed.
- Step 3: “Fast” from the news for one week and replace that time with 10 minutes of Scripture reading.
- Standing Firm on Christ as Our Solid Rock
- Step 1: Choose a time each day to read a portion of the Gospels or Psalms that reminds you of Christ’s faithfulness.
- Step 2: Faithfully attend Sunday morning worship at church and midweek prayer meeting to refocus on Christ together with His people.
- Step 3: Reflect on your baptism or salvation, and write a short journal entry on how Christ has delivered you from life’s chaos.
- Living With Hope of Eternal Peace
- Step 1: Memorize Revelation 21:1-4 to keep the eternal perspective clear in your mind.
- Step 2: End each day with gratitude. Thank God for at least one daily blessing that reminds you of the coming kingdom.
- Step 3: Find one tangible way to share hope—send an encouraging message, help someone in need, or pray for a friend facing trials.
Defining Theology
We have a discussion of the theological term The Apostles’ Creed. We answer the questions of: What it is? Where it came from? How can it be used in the church? And what is meant by the two controversial lines, He descended into hell, and the holy catholic church?
Resources Mentioned:
- Scottish Psalter of 1650
- 2LCF (2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith)
- Affirming the Apostles’ Creed by J.I. Packer
- Brance’s Sermon: I Believe, He Descended
- Brance’s Sermon: I Believe, The Holy Catholic Church
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