Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth.
John Wesley
Every building requires a foundation to set the walls upon it, – strong and solid foundation. If a foundation is incomplete, weak or defective, eventually, the entire structure will collapse and kill everyone inside.
The Church, too, requires strong and solid foundation, which is the doctrine of Jesus Christ, – true and sound foundation of the Word of God.
First, Jesus Christ is the Foundation and the Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22; 1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 Peter 2:6). The creation is the foundation of the life in the entire universe, and Jesus was the Creator of it even before the beginning of time.
Second, Jesus Christ is not just the Creator of all, He is the Savior who redeemed His creation from the damnation of eternal death.
Lastly, Jesus Christ is the King of the kings and the Sustainer of all. He rules over His people and upholds, and protects them from the attacks of the enemy.
Scripture
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. // Matthew 16:18 KJV
Observation
The solid rock upon which Jesus would build His Church was Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, and the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Peter, representing the twelve and anyone who make the same confession, is the living stone built on the foundation that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of Living God.
This is the true and everlasting foundation in the life of every believer. For Christ Himself, by the Holy Spirit, is there “in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
When Jesus Christ was crucified, He stormed the gates of hades to redeem the souls of believers. Jesus set the captive free and took them with Him to the paradise (Ephesians 4:8-10).
In like manner, Lord Jesus assured His Church that those who heed to the Gospel and proclaim the great confession of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, will be delivered from the consuming power of the everlasting lake of fire.
«The “church” founded by Christ, the diverse congregation of all those who believe in Him as the Son of God and redeeming Savior, has endured intense persecution through the ages, and yet it continues to make converts in every land and time, even in spite of ecclesiastical apostasy and sinful hypocrites among its members» – The Henry Morris Study Bible, appendix 15 “The Deity of Christ”
Application
This is the time for your journaling. Reflect on these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit to test your faith and your walk with Christ.
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? — 2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV
- What the foundation in your life made of?
- What is your life confession that you bring to the world?
- Do you see yourself as the living stone in the church of Christ?
- How do you fulfil the role of living stone?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we adore and glorify Your name, Lord God.
We thank You for the revelation of Your love through the life, death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, we thank You for the foundation that you laid with Your body and the Church what would not be possible to build without Your precious blood to be shed. We thank You for the Spirit that inspired the writes of the Bible and empowered them to bring the Word through the centuries up until now, and will never cease to sound.
We pray that the church that You, Lord Jesus, built upon the confession of Peter that You are the Messiah and the Son of Living God, will overcome eternal death and will give everlasting life in the presence of our Lord God.
All these we pray in the name of Jesus Christ Savior and the Son of Living God, Amen.
