Allen Raynor Weblog:
“Building on the Solid Rock” (Pt. 1)
(April 16, 2019)
In 1889 “The
Sand Bar Saloon,” which was built on stilts, was located on the Red River separating
what is now Oklahoma and Texas. A long
footbridge led to dry territory. At
flood stages, the saloon was washed away, but was, of course rebuilt time after
time. Finally, someone died in a flood
and it was never rebuilt. We have all
seen floods and unstable weather. We all
know enough about building to know that sand or soft soil is not the best place
to build. This is not a new
concept. Jesus taught this long ago in
His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24-27 which says “Therefore, whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built
his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the
rock. But, everyone who hears these
sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his
house on the sand: and the rain descended; the floods came, and the winds blew
and beat on that house; and it fell. And
great was its fall.”
In several
places Christ, and His teachings, are compared to a foundation and He being the
chief cornerstone. Peter wrote in 1
Peter 2:4-8 “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but
chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore
it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be
put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who
believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the
builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense.’” If you are
building something, after a foundation is laid, the work of erecting the
structure begins. When we come to a
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the foundation has been laid and the work of
Christian living begins. We then begin
to build up our faith and strength in Christ, bear witness for Him, and more. After the foundation has been laid, there is
still a lot of work to do. Paul writes
to the Corinthian congregation in 1 Cor. 3:9-13 “For we are God’s fellow
workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given
to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another builds
on it. But let each one take heed how he
builds on it. For no other foundation
can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become
clear; for the Day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire; and the
fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.”
Jesus Christ
is the perfect foundation, the perfect example, who possesses perfect wisdom,
and perfect character. Every Word He
says is perfect. Daniel Doriani writes
“Jesus’ words perfectly express his character, his mind, his will. He never deceives, never changes his mind,
never misspeaks. He never has to say,
‘Do as I say, not as I do.’ This world
has all too many obese gym teachers, divorced marriage counselors, and
debt-ridden financial planners. Not so
with Jesus. He does what he says. He is what he says. Every word perfectly reflects his mind, his
character, and his actions. Therefore,
if we would be wise and godlike, we should listen attentively and do whatever
Jesus says. His words will be a rock, a
sure foundation for life.” (Daniel M. Doriani; The Sermon on the Mount: The Character of a Disciple; 222)
Jesus says,
anyone who has ears to hear; (if you can take it) this is the difference
between wisdom and foolishness. It is
simple, basic, common sense the way that Jesus puts it in this parable. A person will either heed Jesus’ Words or
they will not. A lot of rumors, stories,
and crazy notions were floating around about Jesus but Jesus wanted to see what
His disciples really believed about Him. There came a point where Jesus asked the
disciples point blank about who they thought He was. He wanted to know what sort of foundation had
developed in their thought process. In
Mat. 16:15-18 we read Peter’s response to Jesus’ question. “He [Jesus] said to them, ‘But who do you say
that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and
said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are
you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My
Father who is in heaven. And I also say
to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church and the
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’” (Mat. 16:15-18).
Build on
strength, build on truth, build on righteousness, build on the Words of Jesus
Christ! That is true wisdom! That is the foundation for every Christian
life and for the church as a whole.
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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