Recap – God’s Perfect Will
So, again, for my sake, I’m going to be following this flow, this coming Sunday.
I’m going to share a recap of what we talked about last Sunday, regarding God’s Will. We talked about one perspective of God’s will for us – that is, that He wants us to know the Truth; That He does not want us to perish, but to be saved. When we know this, we come to repentance. This was based off of 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:1-4.
We then talked about how Christ fits the bill – or, in this case, Christ fits the Will. That is, Christ HIMSELF is the Truth (as we heard Him in John 14:6), and because of what Christ has done, we shall not perish (Romans 6:23 says because of our sins, we perish, but 1 Corinthians 15:3 says Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures). Also, because of who Christ is (our ONLY Mediator, as mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:5-6), we shall be saved (John 3:17, Romans 10:9).
This wasn’t mentioned last Sunday but I’d like to share Romans 2:4: God’s kindness (or goodness) leads us to repentance. Christ is God’s goodness and kindness in its highest form and manifestation, and therefore, it is Christ who leads us to repentance. Christ did God’s Will perfectly, much so that we came to the conclusion, the proclamation:
We are always in God’s Will
We are always in God’s Love
Because Christ is always with us.
Christ is God’s Perfect Will.
Series Introduction – The Aces’ Essentials
This is the start of a Series I’d like to call, the Aces’ Essentials.
We’ve just passed the halfway point of this year; This year which I declared is a Year of Movement. 2 things I’ve learned since then were: (1) You can’t move in a vacuum – that is, the world is moving, whether you are moving or not, and (2) I can’t – I shouldn’t expect people to move by merely inspiring them and expecting them to know what steps to take.
“Knowledge is the key to survival, the real beauty of that is that it doesn’t weigh anything.” Survivalist Ray Mears said this. In a survival situation, you need knowledge (1) to stabilize yourself, and (2) to move to safety.
To that end I thought we needed Essentials – Perspectives of Christ (1) holding us together no matter how the world around us moves, and that would (2) giving us direction as to where we should go – for us to see Christ in the movement, and our movement in Christ.
Let’s take last week as an example. It’s our first Essential as Aces. We said that Christ is God’s Perfect Will. What we want people to consider, receive, and meditate on no matter what happens to us and around us, is:
We are always in God’s Will
We are always in God’s Love
Because Christ is always with us.
Christ is God’s Perfect Will.
And considering direction, we add the following:
We are always in God’s Will. Do not be afraid to make a decision, do not be afraid if you make a mistake, or if others hurt you.
We are always in God’s Love. Therefore, be inspired to move with perfect love. Do your homework.
Christ is always with us. Take advantage of this by talking to Him in prayer, and listening to Him through His Word.
Christ is God’s Perfect Will.
Again, Essentials – Perspectives of Christ (1) holding us together no matter how the world around us moves, and that would (2) giving us direction as to where we should go – for us to see Christ in the movement, and our movement in Christ.
Essential #2: Christ is our Firm Foundation
I posted on something in preparation for this, but it seems like I’ve hit a snag. Long story short, I’m going to start again.
Not Greatly Shaken
Let’s look at Psalm 62:1-4.
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
As we move, and as the world moves around us, it’s to be expected that we will be shaken. We are, after all, still existing in a fallen world, and a world laced with sin and death. And in this world, not everyone is going to be for you – the Psalmist points out that there will be people who will attack you, even at your weakest; Giving no thought to honor, they would not think twice to attack you, even if you as ‘a leaning wall, (or) a tottering fence’, and they do this to ‘batter’ you and to ‘thrust (you) down from (your) high position’ – in other words, they do not only assault you to harm you, but to push you down.
And another thing to take note of, is that we shouldn’t be surprised if we attacked with words more than we are attacked physically. There’s that one saying that goes, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’. It appears this is obsolete, because words can break much more than our bones, but our entire being beyond our bodies. Words can break our souls, our spirits.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.
Words can harm us and push us down. Words can break our souls, and our spirits. And we read here that they come in the form of falsehoods/lies, or downright cursing. But praise God! Because even as we are assaulted and attacked by the enemy, we can be at peace. Yes, we can wait in silence, because we wait for God, from whom comes our salvation.
Even if we are weak and vulnerable, we have God as our Rock – He is strong for us!
Even if we are pushed out of position, we have God as our Salvation – He will rescue us!
Even if we are greatly harmed, we can run to God, who is our Fortress – We are safe in Him!
God was a good Foundation for Israel. He was their Rock, He was their Salvation, and He was their Fortress. The Psalmist encourages them, therefore, to worship and proclaim – ‘I shall not be greatly shaken.‘
Take note that the Psalmist says, ‘greatly shaken’; I feel as if this implies that it’s not to say that we will never be shaken, but that even when we are shaken, it will pass. It’s as if to say, we shall not be ALWAYS shaken. God, our Foundation, is faithful to stabilize us. Also, it makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Anyone who wants you weak and vulnerable, pushed out of position and greatly harmed – they lie and they curse. Why? because they don’t have a Foundation to begin with.
Standing Firm
The same plagues that cast doubt over the powers of the gods of Egypt left their nation broken. Their water was contaminated, their dwellings were defiled, their livestock and crops were dead, they were in darkness, and their hopes for the future died with their first-born. They were so afflicted that they went as far as giving their valuables to the Israelites, as they fled the country.
Pharaoh let them go but changed his mind and set off to chase them down. The Israelites were trapped – the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian army behind them. Yet in a time where there seemed to be no escape for the Israelites, God spoke to Moses:
“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Exodus 14:13-14
In their wandering in the wilderness the Israelites eventually came to Mount Seir. We see in Deuteronomy 2:4 that God told them to take another direction from there, away from the mountain country; He pointed out that Mount Seir was ‘the territory of (their) brothers, the people of Esau’; He told them, ‘Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.’ (Deuteronomy 2:5)
Centuries later, past the time of the Judges and at the time of the Kings, the Moabites, Ammonites and these same inhabitants of Mount Seir gathered together as a great multitude against the Kingdom of Judah. King Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord, citing how they were faithful not to go against the people of Mount Seir so many generations ago, crying out that these people now come against them as a great army.
Yet in a time where there seemed to be no hope for the Kingdom of Judah, God spoke to King Jehoshaphat:
You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’
2 Chronicles 20:17
In both accounts, we know what happened. God gave a way out to Moses by splitting the Red Sea, and God told the armies of Jehoshaphat to praise God, and the soldiers of the great army fought each other, and killed each other.
God was a good Foundation for Israel. He tells them to fear not, and to hold our position. They are constantly reminded through Scripture: ‘Stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord.’
Cornerstone
God was a good Foundation for Israel. They would not be greatly shaken. They would stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord.
But times have certainly changed. How sure are we that we could make the same claims? In the face of all that’s going on, in the many battles, and in the many enemies we see for ourselves in this day and age, how sure are we that we, too, can stand firm? How sure can we be that we ourselves will not be greatly shaken?
Let’s jump to the New Testament, in Acts 3-4. Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, and along the way was a man who was crippled from birth. We read that this man asked anyone who would enter the temple for alms, and he saw Peter and John as no exception. I’m assuming this guy was used to being spat on, berated, or downright ignored, and if anyone was to give him anything, it would be after the fact that they went to the temple to offer sacrifices of their own, so the chances of him actually getting anything were extremely slim.
I imagine his curiosity as these two these ‘uneducated, common men’ directed their gaze at him, and how focused he was as they told him to look at them. I also imagine the conflict of emotions falling and rising as Peter tells him, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
Peter then took his hand, and raised him. There were no writings indicating any sort of hesitation on the man’s part, but we read: ‘immediately his feet and ankles were made strong’. Another miracle! The man was leaping and praising God, and then those who recognized him saw his condition, that they were ‘filled with wonder and amazement’. And as they gathered Peter took the opportunity to proclaim that it was not by any power they possess that this man was healed.
We all know what John 3:16 states, but here’s a barely known gem of scripture in Acts 3:16: “And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.“
So a man crippled from birth had just been miraculously healed, and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed the gathering multitude, telling them that it was through Christ that he could walk. He called on those who were there to repent, by way of believing in Christ, whom God had raised from the dead.
It’s written in the word that the priests and the Sadducees then came upon them – and here’s the thing, it really was written in Acts 4:1-2 that they were ‘greatly annoyed’ because Peter and Paul were ‘proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.’ They were seized and eventually asked, in the presence of a gathering of rulers elders, and scribes, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:8-12
Firm Foundation
Friends, here is something else, for your consideration.
Throughout the Old Testament we see God being a good Foundation to the nation of Israel. Their enemies would attack them, hurting them and pushing them away, through falsehoods and curses. But even then, God continued to be their Rock, their Salvation, and their Fortress. As such, they would be shaken, but they would proclaim that they ‘shall not be greatly shaken’. They may find themselves outnumbered and with nowhere to run, but behold, God tells them with power and authority, to ‘stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord’.
But see here, Peter was telling the rulers and elders representing the same nation: “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I was pretty stuck here so I needed to consult ChatGPT for a little help. When asked, ‘what is the connection between a foundation and a cornerstone?’, I got the following answer:
A foundation refers to the structure that supports and stabilizes a building. It is usually built below ground level and provides the base upon which the rest of the building is constructed. The foundation distributes the weight of the building evenly to the ground, ensuring its stability and preventing it from sinking or collapsing.
On the other hand, a cornerstone is a specific stone that is laid at the corner of a building’s foundation. It is typically larger and more significant than other stones used in construction. The cornerstone serves as a reference point for aligning the rest of the building and helps ensure that it is built accurately and squarely. Historically, the cornerstone also symbolizes the beginning or foundation of a building.
Did you catch that? The foundation is the beginning of a building… but the cornerstone is the beginning of the foundation! And if Christ is the Cornerstone whom Peter proclaims, then He is the beginning of any Foundation we claim to stand on – He is the Foundation of Foundations, the FIRST Foundation, our FIRM Foundation!
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
My good brothers and sisters, I present to you another aspect to our Salvation. Through Christ, and through no other name under heaven, we have been saved. There is salvation in no one else, but Christ, who is our Cornerstone – the first stone that serves as our foundation, through whom we ourselves shall not be greatly shaken, and through whom we shall stand firm!
So much buildup! But here, before anything else, do I present another Essential for us all:
We will not be greatly shaken.
We stand firm.
Christ is our Cornerstone.
Christ is our Firm Foundation.
There’s more that I want to share. The One who we sing is the center of it all, is our center of gravity!
I understand that it’s no accident that Peter mentioned Christ being our Cornerstone and the First Stone of our Foundation – Telling us on whom we stand, right after he made a man crippled from birth, not only to stand, but dance!
I don’t think it’s an accident either, how it’s Peter who says all this! After all, this is the same Peter to whom Christ said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” To clarify, Christ called Peter ‘Petros’ (that is, a ‘piece of rock’), but the ‘rock’ mentioned in ‘on this rock’ is ‘Petra’, or a ‘mass of rock’; Referring to Himself! In other words, the piece of rock was telling the people the same thing Christ told him – Upon Christ shall the church be built, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!
I thought those would be things I’d share just in case I had time, but now they’re coming out as crucial to our second Essential.
We will not be greatly shaken. We may be hurt, we may be pushed, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us.
We stand firm. We may have no hope, we may be overwhelmed, but not only do we stand, but we DANCE!
Christ is our Cornerstone. He is the beginning of our Foundation. He is the Author of our faith.
Christ is our Firm Foundation.
Epilogue/Reflection
I could use some prayers. This took too long for me to put together. I know I could use my time on so many more things, but… this took too long.
And I need it done with whatever time I have, not only so I’m prepared with a PowerPoint presentation to follow this, but so anyone handling the Kids’ Club can have proper material related to this topic, and so the Worship Team can plan ahead of time. I don’t like how we’re coming up with these Essentials as we go along. I want it all ready. I don’t know if it’s a question of efficiency on my end, or if I can trust other people to help me with this.
Speaking of the Worship Team; See, if I had this message out earlier, then I could have suggested Firm Foundation and Still Standing as worship songs for them to consider and/or to meditate on. I mean, look at the lyrics:
Your word is faithful (Your word is faithful)
Mighty with power (Mighty with power)
God will deliver me (God will deliver me)
Of this I’m sure, of this I’m sure
Jesus You’re my firm foundation, I know I can stand secure
Jesus You’re my firm foundation, I put my hope in Your holy word
I put my hope in Your holy word
Also
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
But by the grace of God
I’m still standing, I’m still standing, I’m still standing,
But by the grace of God.
Until the next post, God bless us all.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
Leave a comment