2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Yesterday, I was reminded by the Lord of our need to choose solid ground upon which to stand with my beliefs. He led me to MT 7: 24-27, the metaphorical story that Christ gives us about this. “So then, anyone who hear these words of Mine, and obey them like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of Mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what terrible fall that was!” Whether we have been born to a family with faith in Christ or not, each one of us has to come to that door marked faith and make the personal decision as to whether or not we will walk through it. Many of us have to experience a part of our life without that faith in Christ to appreciate the huge contrast between life without it and with it. In my experience it is the difference between an empty, meaningless existence and a life rich with the warmth and support that comes from His presence in it.
MT 16 is a chapter with great contrasts that has important lessons for us. Christ knows exactly what the motives are of some Pharisees and Sadducees who come to Him with the idea of tricking Him into performing a miracle to show God approved of them. In (3-4) His response to them is, “You can predict the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs concerned these times! How evil and godless are the people of this day! You ask Me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of Jonah.” These people were standing in the presence of the Lord and were so godless they couldn’t recognize Who they were with and so arrogant that they were attempting to usurp His sovereignty in demanding a miracle. They were standing in front of a Rock sinking in the sand! The reference to Jonah is the foreshadowing of the three days Christ was to be buried and His resurrection still in these people’s future. Note Christ’s assertion, “How evil and godless are the people of this day!” When you turn on the TV, see prayer banned from our schools, observe the attack ads of our political campaigns and see the characters of some who hold high office can’t you make the same assertion about our society today?
In this very same chapter Peter is with Christ in Caesarea Philippi. Jesus asks them, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” In (16) Simon Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter is in the presence of the Rock and knows it. Christ explains that God put this idea in Peter’s head. In (18) an amazing thing happens. “And so I tell you, Peter; you are a rock and on this rock foundation I will build My church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it.” What makes this most interesting is that Peter had a very impulsive personality. We know from our study of the Scriptures that he would fulfill Christ’s prophecy after this of denying knowing Him three times before the cock crows while Christ is on trial just before His crucifixion. That is involved in carrying out God’s will, even though it seems illogical in the face of Peter’s assertion in (16). After Christ’s death, we know that Peter never wavered from his faith in Him and that he was the head of the early church in Jerusalem. His obedient service to God had a part in the survival of the early church. Christ’s opening phrase to Peter in (19) is, “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven…” That is what is meant by standing on solid ground, by the revelation of my Rock. Peter’s obedience to Christ certainly guaranteed he would carry out the Lord’s will and be blessed with life eternal.
It pains me to think that only a small remnant of the Jewish people will come to faith in Christ, but it’s not my choice to make. RO 9: 32-33, reveals the explanation for this. “…Because they did not depend on faith but on what they did, and so they stumbled on over the ‘Stumbling Stone’ that the Scriptures [IS 8: 14 & 28: 16] speak of: Look, I place in Zion a Stone that will make people stumble, a Rock that will make them fall. Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” How clear Christ makes this in JN 14: 6! “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by Me.” It was no guess on my part that the Rock in Exodus I spoke of yesterday is Christ. I COR 10: 1-4 tells us that outright. “I want you to remember, my brothers, what happened to our ancestors who follow Moses. There were all under the protection of the cloud, and all passed safely through the Red Sea. In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized as followers of Moses. All ate the same spiritual bread and drank the same spiritual drink. [See EX 13: 21-22, 14: 22-29; 16: 35; 17:6; NU 20: 11]. They drank from the spiritual Rock that went with them; and that Rock was Christ Himself.” You can’t get much clearer than that!
PRAYER: O Lord, we are so blessed that by obeying Your commands, You reveal Yourself as our Rock. You provide us with solid ground upon which to place our trust and guide us through the Holy Spirit to understand His teachings. You grant us discernment, so we can recognize the evils of this world. While our road through this life is narrow and difficult, You provide us with a path that will take us to eternal life through the death and resurrection of Your Son. Your presence in our lives gives them purpose, the carrying out of Your will through our obedience to You. Help us and guide us along the way, Dear Lord. We dedicate ourselves to You in Christ’s name, amen.
Every time I read the Scriptures, I am reminded of how much our Father loves us. He tells us that a million different ways. He has always been present with us throughout our history and in our own personal lives. He wants us to obey Him even if it sometimes seems like a walk on the wild side. He invites us to join Him in His work, a process He is using to not only carry out His will, but to propel us forward in the process by which He prepares us to be with Him in joyful and eternal closeness in His Kingdom. When we are troubled, He reminds us of the Rock in our lives, the Rock that provides solid ground not sinking sand. How can we know this and not feel profoundly loved?! Peter and I send you our love and prayers today and always.
Grace Be With You,
Lynn