|
Rock Solid Foundation |
Brethren, Jesus Christ is our foundation. What
does it mean when we say, Christ is the foundation, or, My foundation is
in Jesus Christ? Most of the
world has heard that Jesus is The Foundation and it has not brought about
their conversion or caused a change in the way that they live. And
yet, we members of the Church of God are to build on that foundation.
We have established that we are to build on the Rock,
and not upon sand. There is not
one Protestant minister who does not know that! What
does it actually mean when it is said that we are to build on Jesus Christ? How
do we build? What do we build? How
do we know if our foundation is sure? If
we say that we have built our foundation on Christ how has our life
changed? We go to church on
Saturday instead of Sunday What
else is there to do?
How do we act or think differently now that we claim to
be built on the foundation which is Christ? The foundation is the support
part of a structure, and it bears all the weight and forces. The
foundation of things built is that part which anchors, carries and transmits
all of its weight and forces directly to the earth beneath it. Jesus
used this tried and tested building technique as an analogy for Christian
character growth when He demonstrated that using His name alone was
insufficient for salvation.
Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father
which is in heaven. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And
every one that hears these
sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man,
who built his house upon the sand: And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew
7:21, 24-27)
The difference between those founded on Jesus Christ
and those of the world comes down to the matter of heeding and doing these
sayings of mine. Those
in the world hear with the ear, but they do not hear [heed] the teachings of
Jesus. They do not do what Jesus
says is necessary to be done. It
is therefore incumbent upon us to know and follow Jesus instructions and
the example that He set for us. We
are to come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ (Ephesians 4:13). That is
a tall order, and cannot be achieved without the help of God (Hebrews 13:6)
As little as it is practiced, everyone knows that Jesus
taught about peace and love and forgiveness etc., but how many understand
that Jesus taught with the example
of His life? He said, I
have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. (John
13:15) How far does He want us
to go in emulating His life not that we could ever surpass His perfect example?
Jesus Christ courageously faced death knowing and
believing that His Father was sure and faithful to raise Him up (Ephesians
1:20). In fact, that was the
only sign that Jesus ever gave that He was indeed the Messiah that God the
Father would raise Him to life after three days and three nights, and not
allow His body to see corruption (Acts 13:35). Would
Jesus expect for us to be willing to face death in the way that He did?
It is a fact that Jesus Christ came to this earth as
Savior. Do we comprehend that we
are to follow His example and also be co-saviors with
Christ? Who among us is willing
to set all aside and lay down our life for others just as Jesus did (John
10:15)? Let him know, that
he which converts the sinner from the error of his way shall
save a soul from death. (James
5:20) How are we building on the foundation of Christ?
***
Sermon: |
"Rock Solid Foundation" |
|
Note: Realplayer will play mp3 files. |
|