The Rock of Offense
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: 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: whereunto also they were appointed (1Peter 2:7-8).
THOSE WHO BELIEVE. Tell me what you think of Christ, what you REALLY think of Christ deep down, and I will know a lot about who you are. Are you deep-down ashamed to pass his name from your lips in your circle? When you are somehow forced to utter his name in public, does it embarrass you? More devastating words were never spoken than these words that fell from the lips of Jesus and Paul:
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (1Corinthians 12:3). (That is, cannot in sincerity call Jesus “Lord.”)
“HE THAT IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME - In vain do men seek for methods to reconcile God and mammon. There is no middle of the road between loving the Lord and being his enemy - between belonging to Christ or to Satan. If we be on the side of the devil, we must expect to go to the devil’s hell; if we be on the side of Christ, we may expect to go to his heaven. When Christ, his truth, and his servants are assaulted, he who does not espouse their cause is not on Christ’s side, but incurs the guilt of deserting and betraying him. There are many, (it is to be feared), in the world who are really against Christ, and scatter abroad, who flatter themselves that they are workers together with him, and of the number of his friends!” (Clarke) We have these verses to show us what is at stake:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philipppians 2:10-11).
THIS IS ABOUT GOD'S AUTHORITY. I have witnessed to hundreds of men who have said “No” to Christ who know the gospel of Christ as well as I do. They have known from childhood that Christ died for them on the cross, rose from the grave, and will one day return to earth to gather His own and to sit in judgment upon those who have rejected him.
OF THOSE MEN, IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF KNOWING ANY MORE DETAILS about Christ and the gospel. They did not want God to be in charge. They wanted to take God’s place as ruler of their lives. “I will decide what is good and bad. I will tell God what to do. I will be saved when I’m ready and not in God’s time.” Those were the issues. They stubbornly sidestepped the ultimate thing we all must face:
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Mat 21:44).
GOD IS NOT CALLLING US TO BE MISERABLE AND DEPRIVED, but to accept what He has provided for us at the cross through the death of His Only Son…eternal life! But God is a gentleman and will force no man to humble his heart before Him. He created us with a will of our own and we can accept God’s offer, or we can trample it in the dust and wait our turn to stand before Him. Which reminds me, when you stand before Him on that day what will you tell Him? Will you tell Him the stone offended you and you ignored it or will you tell Him that you willingly fell upon the stone to be broken?
I WILL HAVE TO STAND BEFORE HIM ONE DAY AND GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF MYSELF, not at the great White Throne Judgment, (Revelation 20:11-15) but at the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Corinthians. 5:10). My best and shortest statement will be to quote John 3:16. If He asks for a song, I might sing:
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains; And sinnners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
IT WILL BE A GOOD TIME TO REMEMBER ISRAEL OF ANCIENT DAYS: And [they] did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ (1Corinthians 10:4).
GOD AT FIRST TOLD MOSES TO STRIKE THE ROCK THAT THEY MIGHT GET WATER in the desert. (Exodus.17:6) And on the second occasion when they were thirsty, God told Moses to speak to the rock. (Numbers.20:7-12). The rock was God’s portrait of His Christ who was to come and be struck on the cross that out of him might gush the water of life. He will not be crucified again.
WE ARE NOW TO SPEAK TO THE ROCK FOR THE WATER OF SALVATION. If you have not done so, please speak to The Rock today and call upon Him to save you and accept you as His very own child forever. Tell Him that it’s your intention to obey Him as your Heavenly Lord…forever. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 23, 2018 – TUESDAY
A.M. Exodus 4-6 P.M. Matthew 16
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
Song for Today:
There is a Fountain (4:39) (Vestel Goodman – Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasK3ZFAOPE
You may have to adjust the volume or delete an ad.
The picture for today is of the ruins of the synagogue at Capernaum.
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: 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: whereunto also they were appointed (1Peter 2:7-8).
THOSE WHO BELIEVE. Tell me what you think of Christ, what you REALLY think of Christ deep down, and I will know a lot about who you are. Are you deep-down ashamed to pass his name from your lips in your circle? When you are somehow forced to utter his name in public, does it embarrass you? More devastating words were never spoken than these words that fell from the lips of Jesus and Paul:
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (1Corinthians 12:3). (That is, cannot in sincerity call Jesus “Lord.”)
“HE THAT IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME - In vain do men seek for methods to reconcile God and mammon. There is no middle of the road between loving the Lord and being his enemy - between belonging to Christ or to Satan. If we be on the side of the devil, we must expect to go to the devil’s hell; if we be on the side of Christ, we may expect to go to his heaven. When Christ, his truth, and his servants are assaulted, he who does not espouse their cause is not on Christ’s side, but incurs the guilt of deserting and betraying him. There are many, (it is to be feared), in the world who are really against Christ, and scatter abroad, who flatter themselves that they are workers together with him, and of the number of his friends!” (Clarke) We have these verses to show us what is at stake:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philipppians 2:10-11).
THIS IS ABOUT GOD'S AUTHORITY. I have witnessed to hundreds of men who have said “No” to Christ who know the gospel of Christ as well as I do. They have known from childhood that Christ died for them on the cross, rose from the grave, and will one day return to earth to gather His own and to sit in judgment upon those who have rejected him.
OF THOSE MEN, IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF KNOWING ANY MORE DETAILS about Christ and the gospel. They did not want God to be in charge. They wanted to take God’s place as ruler of their lives. “I will decide what is good and bad. I will tell God what to do. I will be saved when I’m ready and not in God’s time.” Those were the issues. They stubbornly sidestepped the ultimate thing we all must face:
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Mat 21:44).
GOD IS NOT CALLLING US TO BE MISERABLE AND DEPRIVED, but to accept what He has provided for us at the cross through the death of His Only Son…eternal life! But God is a gentleman and will force no man to humble his heart before Him. He created us with a will of our own and we can accept God’s offer, or we can trample it in the dust and wait our turn to stand before Him. Which reminds me, when you stand before Him on that day what will you tell Him? Will you tell Him the stone offended you and you ignored it or will you tell Him that you willingly fell upon the stone to be broken?
I WILL HAVE TO STAND BEFORE HIM ONE DAY AND GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF MYSELF, not at the great White Throne Judgment, (Revelation 20:11-15) but at the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Corinthians. 5:10). My best and shortest statement will be to quote John 3:16. If He asks for a song, I might sing:
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains. Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains; And sinnners plunge beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
IT WILL BE A GOOD TIME TO REMEMBER ISRAEL OF ANCIENT DAYS: And [they] did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ (1Corinthians 10:4).
GOD AT FIRST TOLD MOSES TO STRIKE THE ROCK THAT THEY MIGHT GET WATER in the desert. (Exodus.17:6) And on the second occasion when they were thirsty, God told Moses to speak to the rock. (Numbers.20:7-12). The rock was God’s portrait of His Christ who was to come and be struck on the cross that out of him might gush the water of life. He will not be crucified again.
WE ARE NOW TO SPEAK TO THE ROCK FOR THE WATER OF SALVATION. If you have not done so, please speak to The Rock today and call upon Him to save you and accept you as His very own child forever. Tell Him that it’s your intention to obey Him as your Heavenly Lord…forever. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
JANUARY 23, 2018 – TUESDAY
A.M. Exodus 4-6 P.M. Matthew 16
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
Song for Today:
There is a Fountain (4:39) (Vestel Goodman – Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasK3ZFAOPE
You may have to adjust the volume or delete an ad.
The picture for today is of the ruins of the synagogue at Capernaum.
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