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Precious Cornerstone |
Dear Brethren,
Have you ever noticed how everyone says that
they love the Lord? Wouldn’t you think that everyone who considers himself to
be a Christian would state unequivocally that his foundation was
in the Lord, Jesus Christ? But, this world is deceived in
believing that its foundation in Jesus is sure. We know that
their claim is a false one - they worship they know not what: we
know what we worship (John 4:22). As we come closer and
closer to the return of Jesus Christ, we will witness even
greater assertions by those in the world, that their Rock of
Ages is Lord and Master. We know this because prophecy dictates
that there will be counterfeit Messiahs and antichrists, but the
very elect will not be deceived (Matthew 24:24).
The question we in God’s Church need to ponder today is this:
“Is our foundation sure?” Is our foundation in Jesus rock
solid? Jesus is called “the Rock,” and He has said what He will
do. Two things – He is going to burn and grind the enemy to
dust, and He is going to save and deliver His righteous people.
We want to be on the right side of that equation. How can we
examine ourselves to know with an absolute certainty that we are
His people who will be saved?
Did you ever stop to realize that most people are offended by
the Jesus of the Bible. They stumble
at His words and are offended by His
principles, His standards, His Commandments, and His doctrine -
making the word of God of no effect by their traditions (Mark
7:9,13). People say that they love the Lord - but they will
not do what Jesus says, because they are offended by the
Word of God. Jesus says, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in me." (Matthew 11:6)
"As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling
stone and rock of offense: and
whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." (Romans
9:33, 1Peter 2:8)
There is a strong theme in the Bible built around Jesus Christ
being the Rock - the True God of the Old
Testament. "...Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the
Rock..." (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)"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."
(1Corinthians 10:1-4)
We must make sure that our foundation is the Rock, Jesus
Christ. This evil world and all its ways, its governments, its
false religions, its substitutes for the doctrines and teachings
of Jesus Christ, will soon be destroyed. Those who refuse to
walk in Jesus Christ’s way of Love are going to be blotted out
at the return of Jesus Christ (Psalm 69:28).
"Thou saw till that a stone was cut out
without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of
iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the
clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place
was found for them: and the stone that smote
the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
(Daniel 2:34-35) It is Jesus who will establish His Father's
Kingdom over all the earth.
Nothing of this evil world is going to survive except for that
which has been purified by the word of God. Notice the words of
Jesus with regard to our foundation in Him. "Why call ye
me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Whosoever comes to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I
will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built
an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock:
and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that
house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a
rock. [Jesus is that Rock] But he that
heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation
built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat
vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house
was great." (Luke 6:46-49)
So we see clearly that there is a great difference between those
who’s foundation is truly, and in actuality, Jesus Christ, the
Rock, and those who think they are well founded, but are not.
Is Jesus our Rock, and is our foundation sure? Let's notice
Matthew's example. "As Jesus passed forth from thence, he
saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom
[tax collectors had a bad reputation because of much bribery and
malfeasance in office]: and He saith unto him, Follow me.
And he arose, and followed Him. [And so Matthew made a
great feast in his own house and he invited, not only Jesus and
His disciples, but he also invited all of his clients and the
people he worked with.] And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at
meat in [Matthew’s] house, behold, many
publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his
disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his
disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
[What they were saying was, if He is really from God – He
would not associate with such sinners] But when Jesus heard
that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. [Jesus did not come to
this earth and die for those who have it all together, and are
righteous. He came to save sinners] But go ye and
learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for
I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
(Matthew 9:9-13)
Brethren, forget about the world for a moment, we are the
sinners – we who are in the Church of God. We are not to remain
sinners, as Jesus says, we are called to repentance. If we are
building our foundation on the Rock, we are not remaining as we
were when called to the Truth, but we are daily turning our
lives around and building on the foundation, which is Christ.
"Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion
for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure
foundation: he that believes shall not be ashamed."
(Isaiah 28:16)
Brethren, we are unlearning our past ways of doing things, even
undoing the way we once thought. We come far short of the
righteousness of Christ because the law of sin and death remains
in us. The law of sin and death is what we battle against in
our daily lives, alone and in dealing with others. As we
endeavor to live God's way of life, we become more and more like
Him, and He makes His abode in us (John 14:23). "The law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the
law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life." (John 6:63) Then Jesus issued a red flag
warning!!! Some thought that their foundation was set in Jesus
Christ, but it was not, it was set in stone all right – but it
was the hard stony heart that they had grown up with – not the
Rock, Jesus Christ. "There are some of you that
believe not…" Jesus said. Oh, they thought that
they believed – they assumed that they knew better than Jesus
did. They thought that there was an easier way… We are not to
remain as we were when we were called – that is what these
verses are about – our calling from God. (vs. 44, 65) Because
they refused to accept and implement the words, principles, and
doctrine of Christ in their lives – they were no longer walking
with Christ as they had begun to do.
"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked
no more with him." Why? Because true Christianity was a
rock of offense to them – they were actually
offended by the things that Jesus said must be incorporated into
their lives. It is the same today – there are some who hold on
to practices other than the teachings of Jesus. But, we must
live by every word of God (Luke 4:4)"Then said Jesus unto
the twelve, Will ye also go away?" (John 6:64-67)
And, [Matthew] left all, rose up, and
followed Jesus (Luke 5:28).
Are we like those who “walked no more with Jesus,” or, are we
like Matthew and Peter – whom the Scriptures tell us – they "left
all." They left their parents, their status among
their unbelieving friends and community, their cleverness and
wit to get them through any situation, their brothers and
sisters... They held on to no security at all, and followed
Jesus. We must do the same. We must put place Jesus Christ,
our Rock and foundation, above our wife or husband, our
children, our family, job, land, and everything... Unless, and
until that we put the life and teachings of Jesus Christ above
everything else, including our lives – we are not following
Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "If any man come to me, and hate
not [love less by comparison] his father, and mother,
and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and
his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
(Luke 14:26 )
"It is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a
chief corner stone, elect, precious:
and he that believes on Him [Jesus Christ] shall not be
confounded. [believing in Jesus entails living according to
His every word and teaching.] Unto you therefore which
believe, He is precious, [our precious
cornerstone]: but unto them which be disobedient, the
stone which the builders disallowed, the same
is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient." (1Pe 2:6-8)
***
Sermon: "Precious Cornerstone"
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