It's wonderful to be here with all of you.
It's a great day because it's the Lord's day and we have an
opportunity to worship God today in spirit.
And in truth, as always is the case, I do consider it a
privilege to speak, concerning the word of God.
And I hope that what we have to consider for a little while this
morning would be encouraging to you and edifying to you in some
way before my introduction. Though, I'm just going to put
the verses on the screen and will read these at this time.
First Peter chapter 2 To beginning there in verse 4.
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. Now, here's the reason for the
lesson. I usually have a reason, and
sometimes people have a question about a passage or whatever, or
there's usually, a reason that I just decide to present something
from God's word. And here's the reason for this
lesson, Last Sunday in between Services after lunch.
Several of us were in a bookstore and as I was walking
through, I always go and bookstore.
I always go to the religious section and I was going to the
religious section. And as I came around the corner,
there was a book. They're right on the end and the
title of the book was, saving God from religion and I didn't
read the book, but I did pick it up and read a little bit about
the book, read the back of it. And then I got home and I
googled the title of the book. And evidently it was written by
a man who did not believe in organized religion.
And, you know, really, that is a very prominent position today
where people want to have a relationship with God but you
don't have to be practicing anything religiously.
And it really is a very common theory today.
And in this book, what he was saying is he was saying, I don't
believe in organized religion. And if you do and you limit God
to organized, religion, your kind of mission Whole point.
So he writing is, though, he was enlightened on the subject wrote
this book. And he was saying that you don't
have to practice Christianity to have the Lord Jesus Christ or
God in your life. And, you know, shortly after
that, I thought about these passages of scripture and Jesus
Christ is referred to us as precious.
He is the precious Cornerstone. Now, I'll just say this by way
of introduction, will get back to these things in detail, just
a moment. But Jesus was the foundation and
those religious leaders those Builders, as Peter calls, them
religious leaders that rejected Jesus.
They rejected the Cornerstone, they rejected the foundation
because they didn't believe that Jesus was worthy to be the
foundation upon which the house of God would be built.
So they rejected Christ But what we're going to find in these
passages though is the preciousness of the foundation
and that's Jesus is equal to the preciousness of the structure
built on that foundation and that's the church.
And at the end will prove that these two are one.
They are together and you can't have one without the other.
So as we begin, let me just say Jesus.
Christ is the Cornerstone and those that are saved.
Are his chosen? People by way of an
introduction, let me say also. in the beginning, portion of
First, Peter chapter 2 and the first three verses You've heard
me preach on this in times past, when I have said that when you
obey the gospel you come from, the Waters of baptism, you
become a Christian, your life just begins and it doesn't end
there. It's the very beginning you
become a child of God. You are born as a child of God
spiritually speaking and when you do that you have a
three-fold responding obligation.
Number one, we all have a responding obligation to God and
that is that we serve him with every fiber of our being, he
Nerves to be served. He wants to be served.
He wants to be worshiped. He has commanded that we do so
so when I come from the Waters of baptism, I have a responding
obligation number one to God. Number two, we also have a
responding obligation to each other.
The Bible would say that we bear one another's burdens and so
fulfill the law of Christ which is the law of Love.
Thirdly though we have a responding obligation to our
self that we might grow. And in the first three verses of
First Peter Chapter 2, Peter describes, there's a negative
side or an aspect and there's a positive side or aspect the
negative side. Is this, he said you got a cast
aside, all the negative stuff like evil speaking Envy jealousy
hypocrisy, all those things and you do away with those things.
But from a positive perspective, you have to feed on the word of
God. You have to have a hunger for
the word of God, that you might grow.
Row then in verse 3, the tone shifts to the Lord and speaks of
his graciousness or his kindness then.
And it comes to verse four and Peter describes Jesus as a
chosen Stone. As we look at verse 4, and as we
begin, the Bible says they're coming to him as to a living
Stone rejected indeed by men. But chosen by God and precious
in this verse we have a change of figures and As we break down
this passage. Let's begin with this phrase
right here, coming to him. Now, a couple of foundational
passages that show what this means about coming to him and
Luke chapter 9, and verse 23. Jesus said this, anyone who
desires to come to me, must do what must deny himself must take
up his cross daily and follow me.
Second foundational passage is found in Hebrews chapter 11, and
verse 6. When the Hebrew writer says
without faith, it is impossible to please him.
For he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he
is a rewarder of them, get this that diligently seek him.
So when Peters referring to coming to him or coming to
Jesus, it's not specific to the first time one comes to Christ
in obedience to the gospel. It's talking about something
entirely different. It is actually talking about
this, a continual action, a continual Reliance on.
Jesus Christ in the Kingdom. Why?
Because Jesus is a living Stone, and we are ever coming to the
stone of life and energy. The Lord is the raised never
again to die Stone. That's Lord's day.
I think it was Carl waited on the table and he said and he was
right. He said that Jesus when he rose
from the dead. He was he rose from the dead,
never to die again and therefore has become the firstfruits and
that's true. Now it doesn't mean that Jesus
was the first one to ever die and raise again because there
are others in the Bible before Jesus did.
So they died and they rose again.
In fact Jesus himself raised Lazarus from the dead.
So what does it mean? It means this every one of those
other people that died and were risen from the Dead had to die
again. Not Jesus.
He's not only a foundational Stone.
He's a living Stone and we continually go to Jesus in a
continual action and we rely on him in the Kingdom.
He is the source of life and energy.
Let me give you some more passages, Isaiah 28:16.
Therefore thus says the Lord God behold I lay in Zion a stone for
a foundation. Notice.
What Jesus is called? called he's called a tried
Stone, a precious, Cornerstone, and a sure Foundation now
interestingly You know, Peter who wrote this divinely inspired
by the Holy Spirit, the word, Peter comes from the word pets
Roos and it means fragment or a part of a stone.
Now, we understand this to that Jesus is a different one though.
Jesus is this Stone here, a living Stone, the word Stone.
There comes from the word lethal dose.
And it means tremendous rock shaped out and fitted for
eternity. Why cause he's a living Stone?
He was raised never to die again and we find a source of energy
and strength through that. Now notice what Peter says this
Livingstone was rejected by men, you know this is figurative
language here and really the language is this If somebody's
building something you do and you you come to the stones and
you say well this one's worthy of being in it and this one
isn't and somebody's hastily making those decisions.
You know I thought about I thought about my old, buddy,
Darrell my father-in-law. And I remember what he said.
One time about building fireplaces before he was a
painter. He was a brick, man, who was in
The Brick trade and he would tell me about building
fireplaces. He would say, you know what we
would do, we would go, and we'd have all the materials will be
delivered to the job but what we would do is we take a look at
the bricks and we very hurriedly, and very quickly
decide which one was not worthy of being in the fireplace.
This one has some blemishes, this one's got a hole in it.
This one over here. He has a chip in it.
This one over here has a bad color and they would make the
decision quickly as to, what was worthy of being in the structure
and what was not, that's the language that's being used here.
When it comes to Jesus. In fact, the word, they're
literally means to be cast aside rejected.
And just as it was so that building a fireplace, you didn't
spend a whole lot of time examining each one.
You just briefly made the choice.
That's what the religious leaders did when it came to
Jesus, when they rejected him, they said, wait a minute, he's
not worthy of being the foundation on which the house of
God will stand. So we're just cast him aside
rejected by men unworthy. But notice what the Bible says,
Peter says, even though he was rejected by men, he was chosen
by God and he was precious. You know, the word precious is
an interesting word, it means to be held in high honour or
priced. And, you know, I when I think
about this, I think about the Jewish Passover.
And I think about the lamb. That they had to have for the
Passover and it was one lamb for one house.
And it had to be a lamb that was without spot and without blemish
sounds like something else, doesn't it?
It had to be precious and the reason it was called precious is
because it was of high value because those that were precious
or those that were without spot and without blemish, they were
the ones that were used in the in the breeding process.
So they were precious and held in high honour or very expensive
and Worth a lot. The reason for that is it
represented future life? Jesus in like, fashion is also
precious the precious lamb of God because he also represents
spiritual life Lamb, that was precious literally.
Physical life Jesus from a spiritual perspective, spiritual
life. And because there is power in
the blood, you know, we used to sing that song all the time.
There's power in the blood. The reason there's power in the
blood is not only is their life-saving in the blood but
there's also I'm talking about spiritual life, but also because
there is future Life In The Blood.
Notice what he says in verse 5 now.
Peter says you also as living stones Um, so now the tones
going to change just a little bit, he went back here and he
talks about how Jesus is a living Stone.
And then he says this, you also as living stones are built up a
spiritual house. A holy priesthood to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So who is it talking about? It's talking about Christians.
They are living stones in
Ephesians chapter 2, beginning there in verse 20 listen to
this. Having been built on the
foundation of the Apostles and Prophets.
Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Cornerstone in, whom the
whole building being fitted together, grows into a holy
Temple in the Lord in whom you are also being built together
for a Dwelling Place of God in the spirit.
Here Paul says this. You are living stones in
Ephesians 2 and verse 20. That we just read, we find that
these living stones are in a spiritual house.
Now, the spiritual house, a temple, the church makes up the
superstructure. I'll get back to that in just a
moment. Christians are the temple, both
individually and collectively in first Timothy chapter 3 and
verse 15. Listen to what Paul said.
They're writing to the young evangelist Paul said, but if I I
am delayed. I right.
So that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the
house of God which is the Church of the Living.
God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
Now, what else are? We were a holy priesthood.
Now, under the law of Moses in the Old Testament, the spiritual
Temple was the nation of Israel and they had one special chosen
group to officiate from the tribe of Levi.
Under the New Testament though. All Christians constitute a
priest Hood where every worshiper has access to God
through Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 9, verses 11
through 28 and together not separately, we constitute a
priesthood. Now may I say This to we are a
kingdom of priests. Therefore, we have access to God
through Jesus Christ, our high priest.
And may I just say this as a little aside, because we are a
kingdom of priests and we're all the same in that and all have
access to God, through Jesus Christ.
If you sin, you don't have to call somebody on the phone and
pray for you. I don't have to call somebody in
the middle of the night and have them pray for me.
Because I've sinned as a kingdom of priests, that means all
Christians are priests. We pray to God through Jesus
Christ. I have access to God through
Jesus Christ. We are part of that.
We are all a holy priesthood and what do we do together?
Not separately. We offer spiritual sacrifices.
How do we do that with our lips? Our lives and our worship.
Our lips, our lives and our worship.
And Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15.
Therefore by him. Let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips
giving, thanks to his name. I want to say something about
what we say with our lips. And we don't hastily come before
God. We do.
So reverently and respectfully and may I say this too.
And again you've heard me say this to you in the past when
you've been here as long as I have, you've heard a lot of
things that I've said over the years and I have always said and
I still believe that if the only time that you pray is when we
assemble or when you're going to eat or maybe even when you're
going to go to bed at night. That's not enough, that's not
being instant in prayer, being ready to pray.
All the time, we have a wonderful relationship with God.
Let's use the blessing and we, as a kingdom of priests can go
before God. And you know what, we get to do.
We get to sing praises or say praises to God.
And what else? Giving thanks to his name.
And they also suggest. That God is worthy of your
prayers and your praise, and your Thanksgiving, even if you
have a lot of bad stuff going on in your life.
Even if the circumstances of your life are really negative
and awful, God is still worthy to be praised when something bad
happens. He's worthy to be praised.
When something bad or negative happens in your life, he's
worthy to be thanked for all that your been blessed with and
just maybe to just maybe we spend a lot of time and maybe
too much time asking for Relief instead of asking for strength
to get through and endure and just maybe we don't thank him
for the trial that life has brought our way.
It's made us better and stronger for the future.
Regardless of your circumstances.
Oh, we praise God with our lips. We do so.
Absolutely. And we give thanks to his name
and I'm going to say one more thing about this that we're
good, go to our next passage. When you say praise God, those
words, praise God. You have to mean those very
words. It's not something that you just
say flippantly and passing, what, praise God, I know people
you do to that as part of their vernacular as part of their
regular speech, they're always saying, praise God, praise God.
Praise God. You know, it's a wonderful thing
to praise God. But ask yourself if you're
saying praise God all the time, are you really praising God?
Or is it just something that you say?
Because if it's something that you say, with no meaning, you
can take something that is wonderful and make it in
significant because there's no meaning or feeling or heart
behind it. So is God worthy.
Absolutely of our praise and our Thanksgiving.
But more than that, how about Romans chapter 12 and verses 1
and 2. Paul said, I beseech you,
therefore brethren By the mercies of God, that you
present, your bodies, a Living Sacrifice, holy acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable service and do not be conformed
to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God. So, not only do we come to him
and honor him with our lips of praise and thanksgiving.
But Even our bodies, Our sacrifice a Living Sacrifice to
God. You know, that's more than just
worship. We have come together today and
worship. But this is more than just
worship, you're presenting your bodies a Living Sacrifice, that
means in your daily life. Your daily Walk of Life.
Now how do you gonna do it? I like passengers that give us
specifics and practical ways to do what the word of God tells
us. We must do.
So what Paul says is he said you present your body as a Living
Sacrifice be holy acceptable to God.
And you know what? It's not something that you
deserve extra credit for because Because F actually it's your
reasonable service, you know why?
Because that's how got great God is.
It's your reasonable service. Then don't be conformed to this
world. This is how you're going to do
it but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
There's no other way to do that than to the word of God.
That's how you constantly renew your mind.
It's your in the word of God, all the time, you're studying
the word of God. You're reading the word of God
and it's changing how you are. And then you can show that you
have proven that you what is acceptable and perfect will of
God now. What else?
Jesus is our high priest, okay? He's our high priest.
As we mentioned, just a moment ago, we are members of the
church are a kingdom of priests in verse in First Peter chapter
2. Now, in verse 6, notice
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.
Mmmmm. So notice this phrase here also
contained in the scripture I'm talking about in the Old
Testament and in the New Testament.
And what do we find? Well, first of all, we find that
Jesus Christ. What's contained in?
The scripture is the foundation. He's the foundation.
Isaiah 28:16 once again. Therefore thus says the Lord God
behold I lay in Zion a chief stone for a foundation.
A tried Stone, a precious Cornerstone, a sure Foundation,
another passage Romans 9 + 33 as it is written.
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone, and a rock of
offense and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.
All right, Jesus is Cornerstone. What is that?
We know what that is. A Cornerstone is something that
unites two different walls. It brings them together, two
different walls. It's the Jesus is the chief of
the corner. He's the Chief Cornerstone.
Now, the two walls were Jew and Gentile and this is really
beautiful here, because in Ephesians chapter 3, it tells
us, as I paraphrase that it always existed in the mind or
plan of God that both Jew and Gentile alike would be in one
body, the church and all of those Old Testament prophets.
They were not given the right, they were not given the
blessing. They were not given the favor in
describing, what the mystery was in fact in Ephesians chapter 3?
It says, the mystery was that Jew and Gentile alike would be
in the church together as one body.
As one of God's people, all one in Christ, Jesus.
And the Jew and Gentile would be in one body and it would be made
known through the church. Also we find that it was laid in
Zion. This is the foundation.
Again, Jesus was true was tried and laid in Zion, that's the
foundation. Now we also find in Ephesians
chapter 1, beginning in verse 18, let me just read a few of
these passages to you. This is very beautiful and that
Jew and Gentile are the great people of God.
Now in Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in verse 18, Paul said
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may
know what is the hope of his calling.
What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints
and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward
us? And Believe according to the
working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ.
When he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand
in Heavenly places, far above all principality and power and
might and dominion and every name that is named not only in
this age but also in that, which is to come Okay.
Now verses 22 and 23. And he has put all things under
his feet and gave him to be the head, over all things to the
church, which is his body. The fullness of him who fills
all in, all in John, chapter, 14 and verse 6, when Jesus says, no
man comes to the father, except by or through me the only way
you can go through. Jesus Christ is to be in his
body. The Bible says that his body is
the church, so the structure that's built on the Patient.
Does matter, does it not? It's the body of Christ.
We must come to God through Jesus Christ.
The only way you can do that is through his body, the way you do
that is to be in his church, but there's more Zion was to be and
indeed the place where the stone was tried and laid, Hebrews 5.
And 8 9 though, he were a son, yet, he learned obedience by the
things which he suffered. And having been perfected, he
became the author of Eternal salvation, get this to all
those. Those that obey him.
What are we talking about? We're talking about that in
Jerusalem, it would all happen. When Jesus died on the cross,
the Old Law, he took the Old Law of Moses and he nailed it to his
cross and we are no longer under the Old Law of Moses.
But in Zion, in Zion in Jerusalem on the day of
Pentecost, because of Jesus, what Jesus did with his death
burial and resurrection. And when the Holy Spirit came to
those Apostles to preach that very first gospel, sermon with
the opportunity to respond. Jew and Gentile alike.
Now have access to one body, that's the church.
And that would be God's people. What a great Eternal blessing,
that is, and that opened the door of One Faith.
What else is Jesus called? He's called the elect.
And that literally means from the Greek word to be picked out
and chosen. He is precious as we mentioned,
just a moment ago to be held in honor a great value.
He is dear to us. Okay.
Also though in verse 6, as we just read a moment ago, listen
to this, he who believes on him Him will by no means be put to
shame or the King James says confounded, it was important for
the Apostle Peter and it's important for us today, you
know, they were suffering, great persecutions as being a
Christian. And I just want to make a point
about a little comparison here. These Christians were
undergoing, tremendous persecution.
Oh about four years or so Scholars.
Tell us before the destruction of Jerusalem, by the way, that's
why the Hebrew letter written Hebrew Christians was to
encourage them because the day approaching was the destruction
of Jerusalem and they would have some horrible persecutions and
the persecutions were so great, that many of them turn their
back on Jesus and went back to the laws of Moses because after
all there was no persecution if they did that.
So, the writer of Hebrews is telling them, don't do that,
hang in there, keep in there every step of the way as you see
that day approaching the persecution is coming upon them.
Well, guess what, Peter is writing to the same kind of
people that had tremendous persecutions.
So let me just say we don't have persecutions like that today.
Okay. And even with covid and all
that, we were not persecuted, you've heard me say we were
inconvenienced. There may come a time though.
When we're Persecuted in life. There may come a time, we pray
that's not the case, but it may happen.
It may be that we are persecuted.
Like they were persecuted very strongly but even if we're not,
here's the similarity as they had tremendous persecution.
The Christian today, has trials But there's a great promise.
I Love This Promise. The promise that Peter is giving
is this, whether it's great persecution or whether it's just
a trial, we will never be put to shame for trusting Jesus.
A, we will never be put to shame for trusting Jesus.
You know, sometimes we want to have the trial removed. you
know, what Peter also says, the trying of your faith Is more
precious than gold that perishes.
When you have a tremendous trial in your life is doing some
positive things if you would just look.
And I will do the same and I'll just look be honest with it.
Sometimes these trials are making us better and stronger
for the future. In fact that's what patients is.
Let it have. It's perfect work.
And it's difficult. Sometimes it's hard.
Sometimes, but you know what it's doing.
Its polishing us its refining us.
It's the fire that hardens. The clay and not just melting
the wax. That's what the trial is, what
else? Here's a another great blessing,
great benefit. It's proving to us, or putting
on trial, our faith. And sometimes life has a way of
putting our faith on trial, and when we do that, and when we
persevere, you don't get to prove, we prove that our faith
was, as it should be. It's exactly what it should be
and you know what that is, that's more precious than gold
another benefit when you hold up and you don't check it out and
you don't quit, you don't back off and you're going through a
difficult thing and everybody that knows you knows you're a
Christian but she don't blame God and you don't quit guess
what? God gets the glory immediately.
He just appraised. Everybody knows that's why you
stood strong in the face of adversity because your Christian
God gets the glory. Secondly, Peter would also tell
us another passage will have a reward in heaven one day too and
it will be worth it all but you will never ever be put to shame
for trusting Jesus. All right.
Now, we shift. If there's the foundation, a
Cornerstone is Jesus Christ. He's the elect, he is precious.
If there's a foundation, there has to be a super structure
there. Has to be or else is just a
slab. Just a foundation notice in
First Peter chapter 2 and verse 7, therefore to you, who believe
he's precious. But to those who are
disobedient, the stone, which the builders rejected has become
the Chief Cornerstone. So what he says, the being of
that passage is you who believe he is precious to you, who
believe he is precious. There is a superstructure.
Now, what is that? What is a superstructure
obviously, it's that which is built on top of something else.
That is the super structure that is built on the foundation.
Notice this too. If that's the case, then the
foundation and the superstructure are one.
Okay, you get this. You go build a house.
You pour slab. Okay.
You poor slab. You build your frame, it you
build the walls. From that point forward after
the slab, is poured, in the structure is being built the
slab and the structure are now described as 101.
The foundation and the superstructure are one.
The same is true with Jesus and the church, the foundation of
the superstructure are one. You can't have one without the
other. Notice Foundation.
Jesus Christ. Structure is the church.
Now. Let me also say this too because
this is important to, somebody would say well how really
important is the church. And how important is it that I
practiced Christianity in my life as a Christian, can't I
just have a relationship with Jesus?
Can I just have that? Because after all Jesus was
precious absolutely health and high-value died for my sins, all
that's true. Notice, the foundation is Jesus
Christ. The structure is the church.
We've already learned that the foundation, orgy.
This Christ was hand selected by God and His precious Helgen,
high value. If they're one, that means this,
that as precious as Jesus is, its equal to the preciousness of
the structure, which is the church, that means that the
structure, the church is also equally precious All right, but
then Peter says this to those who are disobedient and In this
passage here, the word disobedient is used against the
word belief. Now a person might say, no, wait
a minute. What does belief have to do with
obedience? One scholar said at this swept
up, this is great. I just here's a direct quote
because faith is more than intellectual assent Faith or the
absence of it is the eminent is evidenced in the life.
It's evidenced in the life. In fact, the word belief or
believe in the Bible literally means having the force to obey.
Sometimes people say I'm a believer, I'm a Believer, but
being a Believer, doesn't just mean, I believe in God and it
doesn't mean I just believe in Jesus Christ.
Being a Believer means that you had it has to force to obey.
That's what Jesus said in Mark 16:16.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
He that believeth not shall be damned.
The word belief, there is having a belief that has the forced to
obey another words practically, I find out in the word of God,
what Jesus has done for me, I find out in the word of God.
What Jesus wants me to do in my life, I believe so strongly that
I'm willing to obey that begins with your obedience to the
gospel. Be baptized for the remission of
your sins but not just that your life was transformed and you
begin as a baby in Christ and he start to serve God all the days
of your life you believe. If so much, it has the force to
obey, that's what that means. Now.
In verse 7. It says the stone.
Which the builders rejected has become the Chief, Cornerstone.
now, the stone that the builders rejected, They rejected Jesus.
Because they rejected him as the foundation.
Okay. But please get this. if you
reject the structure, and that's the church, You also reject the
foundation. You know, why?
Because the foundation and the structure are equally precious.
And you can't have one without the other.
Great blessings to be a child of God.
Peter said even though the Jews the builders, they're rejected.
Jesus as being unworthy, by the way there's this is also very
powerful. Peter says God made him the
Chief Cornerstone. In other words, God will not be
thwarted. His plans will not be thwarted
and by the way, whether I believe it or not, Has nothing
to do with whether it's true. If a person doesn't believe, it
doesn't mean it's not true, or didn't happen.
And just because the builders rejected Jesus, as being the
foundation, does it mean that he isn't?
Because he is God selected him, God elected him and he is
precious. In Matthew 16 and 18, very
familiar passage and I also say to you that you are Peter and
Upon This Rock, I will build my church and the Gates of Hell
shall not Prevail against it. So to have Jesus the foundation,
you got to have the structure and that's the church and
remember once again, the preciousness of the foundation
is equal to the preciousness of the structure in closing and I'm
finished I know that a lot of times people, Want to remove the
religious aspect of a person's life and a lot of times that's
just because they don't want to be committed to anything.
Well they don't want to have to do anything.
I think that's really a sign of the times with the way things
are in general. People want the benefit without
the work, right? So they want we remember when I
was going to the gym all the time years ago, and there was
this supplement to take this, you can lose weight.
If you take this pill, you could do this.
If you all these shortcuts and the idea was I want the benefit
now, but I'm not willing to do anything.
That is not a religious status. Not you scriptural position,
when it comes to your salvation, we got work to do.
Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone. Jesus was tried and laid in Zion
and Jerusalem. The church was established.
And as precious as Jesus is, is, as precious as the church is,
there's no salvation outside the body of Christ.
So my question is this today? Are you a Christian?
Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb, that precious
blood, that gives spiritual life, the blood of Jesus that
will wash your sins away? The same blood of Jesus that
once you contact that blood at baptism, Jesus will add you to
his church. That's the super structure that
sits on the foundation. All one all at the same time,
you've never obeyed the gospel. Please do that today.
We will assist you in that we would love to do that.
That come believing in Jesus with the forced to obey, repent
of your sins, make a change in your mind.
I want to serve Jesus today. I want to change my life be
willing to confess the precious name of Jesus Christ.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and be baptized
in water for the remission of sins.
Rise to walk in newness of life and Let Jesus add you to that
superstructure the in the church.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
would like any additional information or you would like to
receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
Please email us at info at search of Christ.
Bakersfield.com, our service times are on Sundays at 10:30
a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
honored guest.