WHO ARE YOU LORD?

If it’s not about Jesus, it’s not about anything Motto of the Fountain of Life

Dear brethren, how we answer  that question, “Who Are You Lord?” indicates how we interpret the Gospel.  Those who say the Lord is the Great Judge, who hates unrighteousness, will preach avoidance of sin to keep out of hell.  While those who say the Lord is the Sweet Savior who loves righteousness, will preach the practice of good works to get into heaven.  These are very broad brush generalizations used to illustrate that how see the Lord strongly forms what we think the Bible says.  So, is He angry or loving, wrathful or merciful, judgmental or gracious?  Who is He?  How do we know?  What lens do we choose to reveal the bible?  Let’s take a moment now to pray for discernment.

KNOWING GOD (A GOD DIVIDED?)

Theology has often followed the lead of Augustine and

Thomas Aquinas and has identified God through His Divine

ontology, or His essence or nature.  His essence is

studied and understood by His attributes such as knowledge

and power.  Augustine would take these human concepts and

magnify them unto perfection and reverse-engineer them

into God’s essence.  Our human knowledge becomes God’s

divine omniscience, our power becomes His omnipotence.  If

He is perfectly good, by definition He cannot sin.  If He

has eternal life, by definition He cannot die.  His divine

holiness is seen as a perfect moral goodness.

This view limits our relationship with God because it

restricts Him to utter otherness from us.  It makes Him an

abstract God divorced from the events of history.  Yes,

Jesus is seen as God atoning, but the Father is seen as

God demanding atonement.  This creates tension if not

separation in God within Himself, one loving, and one

angry.  Many theologies take their primary understanding

of who God is through His Divine nature that is His

ontology.  His essence is understood through the lens of

Greek Philosophy.  The difficulty is that no matter how

well intentioned, it is impossible for an imperfect agent

to perfectly understand perfection.  Therefore, using His

attributes as the lens, we can, at best see Him through a

glass dimly.

We all bring intellectual baggage to the bible and those

bags are layered with our inclinations and preferences.

 Our inclinations are formed by society, politics, gender,

economics, ethnicity and yes, even religion. How can we

peel away these layers and learn what the bible says?  Is

there a key to unlock all this baggage?  Brethren, the

good news is YES.  There is a key.  The key is to view the

bible through the lens of who is Jesus Christ.

A wonderful key scripture is given by Jesus Himself in

Luke 24:27-29 and 44-45.  After the resurrection Jesus

walked with Cleopas and his friend.  “And beginning at

Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all

the scriptures the things concerning Himself.”  Several

hours later Jesus appeared to the eleven.  “And He said

unto them, ‘These are the words which I spake unto you,

while I was yet with you, that all things must be

fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in

the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.’”  Jesus

is in the Old and the New Testaments.  This is a very

important fact in knowing Who Are You Lord.  Jesus was and

is involved with life and living and He acted in history.

 We know God by what He does.  What He does is who He is.

 Consider here a very free rendering of John 14:8-10:  God

is what He does.

Grace Communion International (GCI) studies God through

His self-revelation through the Word of God through His

actions in history.  We know Him from what He did and

does.  The living Word is Jesus and we see clearly His

activity.  What does God do?  In the New Testament Jesus

is born of woman, He acts with power.  He preaches the

gospel to the poor and deliverance to the captives and the

acceptable year of the Lord.  He heals the brokenhearted,

heals the blind and gives liberty to the bruised (Luke

4:18).  John shows His many acts of love.  Paul refers to

His many acts of love.  What God does, God is.  God is

love.  (1 John 4:16.)

In the Old Testament, the LORD acts with power.  In

Genesis He creates.  He gives law in Exodus and judgment

in the Prophets.  His judgments are given in love.

 Humanly speaking, those judgments seem harsh and angry,

especially toward Samaria and Jerusalem.  Therefore, many

see the God of the Old Testament as different from the God

of the New Testament.  This view of God is incorrect.  God

is not separate or divided one testament from the next,

one covenant from the next.  The God of the Old Testament

is the God of the New.  Hear, O Israel:  The LORD our God

is one LORD.  (Deuteronomy 6:4).  Jesus Christ, the same,

yesterday, today and forever.”  (Hebrews 13:8)

KNOWING GOD (A GOD UNITED)

Regarding this divided identity approach to God,

Theologian John McKenna said during an interview on

“You’re Included” with GCI Theologian Dr. Mike Feazell,

“…it is not an accurate picture of the way He is, in

Himself; it’s not an accurate picture of the way He is in

His acts in history with Himself.  McKenna contends that

there is a continuity in the I AM of the burning bush, the

I AM of the Incarnation, and the I AM of the Holy Trinity.

 He continues, “There’s no separation, but deep and

profound integration of the dogma of the church, with the

biblical speaking of God, with the biblical theologies.

 You can’t have a separation – biblical theology over

here, and church theology over there – which has occurred

in our time, and because of it a lot of people ask this

kind of question, ‘What’s the relationship between the God

of the Old Testament, the God of the new Testament, and

the God of the church?”

Along that line Feazell made this comment: “And by ‘God of

the church,’ it seems there are two kinds…when we talk

about the church and God, there’s one approach we take as

preachers when we’re preaching to a congregation, or when

we’re pastors – we talk about God as being graceful or

full of grace, and forgiving, and patient, and loving and

helping people through crises and so on, encouraging them

to know that God is with them.  And yet when we go to find

a definition for God and we look in the creed of we look

in classical theology, to some degree, we find words like

omnipotent, omnipresent, and all-powerful, and all-knowing

– and we lay out this list as if that’s what God is.  But

when we are experiencing God in day-to-day life, we want

to preach about a God who’s more like Christ, and so it’s

like there are two ideas of God going on.”

Matthew Henry wrote that when God called Himself I am That

I am, “He had made Himself known to Moses in the glory of

His self-existence.  Now (In Exodus 34:6) He makes Himself

known in the glory of His grace.”  In actuality the grace

of God in the Old and in the New, holds the two

testaments, the two covenants together.  We can understand

the relationship between the Old and the New through the

grace of God.  Grace is what God does.

God, in His freedom to be the Great I AM, has defined

Himself in His relationship with his people.  This

relationship is grace.  He defines Himself in Exodus 34:6.

 God chooses to be our God and He chooses Israel, and us,

to be His people.  This free choice is important.  God

makes a commitment by His will and His good pleasure.

 McKenna says, “God will not be who He is without us.”

 And He is gracious toward us.

THE LITTLE REVELATION

(Exodus 34:6)

Exodus 33:19:  “I will be gracious to whom I will be

gracious and merciful to whom I will show mercy.”  How

special was this people to whom God choose to be gracious

and merciful?  They had witnessed a succession of God’s

great works since Egypt.  At the point when Moses is

receiving the Ten Commandments from the great loving I AM,

they abandon the LORD and make a heartless golden calf.

 It is to this rebellious and ungrateful people that God

says “I will be your God and you will be My people.”

The love and commitment of God shine through when God

says, in so many words, “And here is how I will be your

God.”  Exodus 34:6:  “And the LORD passed by before him,

and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, The LORD God merciful and

gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and

truth.’”  In this Little Revelation these terms are

significant because God chooses them to establish Himself

in His relationship with this rebellious people, who

prefer a metal bovine over who He is.  Notice the

description:  Merciful – Gracious – Longsuffering – Good –

Truthful.  The five terms in Hebrew are rachum, hannun,

‘erek ‘appayim, hesed ve ‘emeth.

The Little Revelation shows how God chooses to be God with

His people.  And in the New Testament we can see that

Jesus is the same God, because the same terms flow from

Jesus.  Let’s look at them a bit more closely and find

similar references in the New Testament.

MERCIFUL:  Strong’s Concordance word #7349 – rachum

(rakh-oom’) – compassionate, merciful.  John McKenna

points out that, “Rechum is cognate with the Hebrew

‘womb.’  It has to do…with beginning.  You can’t begin

anything without the rechum of God.  He is the God who

gives birth.”  God’s compassion is likened to that of a

woman from conception through birth.  The sense of rachum

is that you’re talking about the attentive care it takes

to begin something that is of God.  The golden calf did

not possess rachum.  Jesus does.

Matthew 9:27:  “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind

men followed him, crying and saying, ‘Thou son of David,

have MERCY on us.’”

Titus 1:4:  “To Titus, mine own son after the common

faith:  Grace MERCY, and peace, from God the Father and

the Jesus Christ our Savior.”

GRACIOUS:  Strong’s #2587 – channun (khan-noon):  This is

favor. He favors what He has begun and He sustains it by

grace to finish it.  God favors what He has begun.

Romans 16:24:  “The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ be with

you.”

1 Peter 1:33:  “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is

GRACIOUS.”

LONGSUFFERING:  Erek Aphayim - an idiom; “long of

nostrils” combining Strong’s #750 – erek, arek (aw-rake):

patient, slow (to anger) and Strong’s #639 – aph (af) –

the nose, the face; rapid breathing in passion.  It is

slow to anger in the sense of patience.  The idiom “long

of nostrils” conveys a more vivid meaning than patience.

 The idiom is set in an angry face with flared nostrils,

as when flared apart as far as possible before one

strikes.  God’s face is very, very slow to look this way.

The book of Hosea offers the vividness of God’s patience.

 Chapter 11:8-9:  God is proclaiming that His heart

recoils from His judgment.  From the King James:  God

promises, “I will not execute the fierceness of My anger.”

 God’s face will not contort in rage because he is patient

with his anger.

Revelation 1:9:  “I John, who also am your brother, and

companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and PATIENCE

of Jesus Christ…”

1 Timothy 1:16:  “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy,

that in me first, Jesus Christ might shew forth all

LONGSUFFERING…”  

GOODNESS:  Strong’s #2617 – checed or chesed (khehsed):

 piety toward God, beauty, favor, good deed, kindly,

merciful, pity, grace.

Matthew 19:16:  “And, behold, one come and said unto him,

‘GOOD Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have

eternal life?”

John 10:14:  “I am the GOOD shepherd…”

TRUTH:  Strong’s #571 – ‘emeth (eh’ meth):  stability,

certainty, truth, trustworthiness, faithful, right, sure.

 Faith cognate with amen, faith – truth – faithfulness.

John 14:6:  “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the TRUTH,

and the life.”

2 John 3:  “Grace be with you…from the Lord Jesus

Christ...in TRUTH and love.”

Checed and ‘emeth both are likened to God’s faithfulness

to what He has begun, to what He cares to sustain and to

that to which He is wisely patient.

These five qualities are how Israel experienced Jehovah.

 It is how we experience Jesus.  The God of the covenants

is the same God.  The Rock of Moses is the Rock of Paul (1

Corinthians 10:4).  The Savior of the Gospels is the

Savior of Hosea (Hosea 13:4).  The God of the Little

Revelation is Jesus.  God does what God is = LOVE.  All

His actions, be they mercy, wrath, judgment or abundant

blessings, flow from streams of love.  Brethren, it is

never God against us.  It is always God for us, God with

us, and God in us.  Friends, it is always Jesus for us,

Jesus with us, and Jesus in us.

Praise the name of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega.  Amen

Rev. George Relic, Assistant Pastor

Fountain of Life

A Congregation of Grace Communion International

Elimentry Notes About the Gospels: Matthew, Part II

 Christians, and even some  non-Christians have a high reverence for the Bible. It is God speaking to us about Who He is.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2Timithy:3:16

The Gospels

  We see, that  the New Testament begins with the Gospels.The word Gospel is an old English word which means "glad tidings": or "good news" . the Greek word is "εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion", which is  "good message".   They are the authorized biographies of Jesus Christ, giving an overview of His life,  teachings ,  actions and events surrounding  Him. Yet , they are not the earliest writings of the Christian Church, many of Paul's epistles were penned  and sent and circulating before the Gospels were ever called upon to be written. It is believed by some Biblical Historians  , and with good reason , that of the four Gospels that we have,   Mark's may have been the earliest written and or even existed if only in brief note form.  Three of the Gospels  Matthew, Mark and Luke are called  "synoptic" which means "seen together". John stands alone and has a varied   view which speaks a little different then the other three. Each one with a specific audience and goal.

 Matthew 's Gospel

If you have ever been in a Church that has stained glass windows (which I happen to like) you might have seen varies  symbols and may have thought what are they and what do they represent? In the early years (and we still do this) of the church Christian's borrowed heavily from those events in the life of Old Testament personalities and in the life of the people of Israel.  Christian understood that they are in participation of God's purpose in human history and saw Israel as their spiritual predecessors they naturally used what they found in the Scriptures in the life of Israel, and their  the wandering in the wilderness.The twelve tribes would had a specific banner under which to camp.

 

If  you  have seen a symbol of a winged man in a church  this winged man was chosen to represent the Gospel of Matthew.  Christians found this symbol in the encampment of Israel as they journeyed toward the Promised Land, for Christians journey to a "Land of Promise"  of eternal life. (which when Israel camped  the camp  formed a cross.)  It was the banner of the Tribe of Ruben  and was  pictured as a man and positioned at the south end of the camp.the early Christan used the Ruben symbol to represent the Gospel of Matthew. 

Jews His Audience

Matthew called Levi the son of Alpheus, was originally was from Capernaum , he  was a tax collector which was a occupation with little social standing in the eyes of the Jewish people , they were viewed with great suspicion and  as corrupt and for dealings with Roman authorities whom the Jews saw as unclean , they styled them as traders against Israel. 

Matthew  collected taxes for Herod Anitpas at the time of His calling by Jesus. Matthew would have had some measure of background for details, and tax collector were often known to be fluent in two or more languages. It was written approximately around the early to mid 50s AD.

Matthew aims his message about Jesus right toward his own people, being careful to uses concepts and ideas to make his message about Jesus Christ more readily  accepted in the minds of Jesus' own  people letting them know that their long awaited Messiah had come. Matthew's place as an Apostles would speak volumes of the acceptance and inclusion that is extended to us as, after all,  if a hated tax collector could be forgiven, how much more the average Jew.   

Jesus' Genealogy 

Matthew begins with proving Jesus' pedigree Matthew 1:1-17, He is careful to show that there is an unbroken linage from the Abraham to David to Jesus, this was to reflect the requirement that the Messiah would be the "Son of David" , that is of the line of David. Matthew is also careful to insert  milestones in the national life of Israel  into his time line of Jesus, showing Jesus is part of that and when understood is the point of it all. There are actually two genealogy's found in Scripture Matthew's which starts with Abraham and concludes with Joseph, Jesus' "human father" . Luke's account traces the genealogy from Adam hinting that Jesus is "second Adam" as Paul wrote.Genealogies was of great importance to the Jewish people of the day it informed them as to just who a person was and where the came from.

Old Testament

It can not be overstated just how important the Old Testament is , which is the Inspired Mythology of the people of Israel ,and speak of  the personalities  that populate these writings and their relationships with the Great God, as well as the events  historical and prophetic. Just another note: Some do not understand the deference between "the Old Testament & the Old Covenant".

Simply stated , the Old Covenant is that agreement that God made with the People of Israel  at Mount Sinai,   it was enforce and lasted until the Cross at Calvary. The Old Testament is the written record of the People of Israel and their relationship with God, and that written record contains the particulars of  the Old Covenant and is part of the inspired record of Scripture, the Word of God,  therefore it does not expire.

These writings collectively called:

 the TANAKH- The Hebrew Bible, The Old Testament

 TORAH-  The Law

NEVI'IM- The Prophets

KETHUVIM- The Writings 

Jesus Is The One

These Inspired writings created the cultural anticipation of the coming Messiah which confirm and support Jesus' Messianic Credentials. Matthew aims his message about Jesus right toward his own people, being careful to uses concepts and ideas to make his message about Jesus Christ more readily  accepted in the minds of Jesus' own  people Israel,  letting them know that their long awaited Messiah had come..

Matthew used these Scriptures to make  case to the Jews that Jesus is the very one that they sought for from the very beginning is come.Matthew used the Old Testament to show that Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures, that fulfilled that cultural anticipation. Israel as a nation provided the human incubation place for Jesus' coming and preserved the Ancinet prophecy of one who would reconcile humanity to our God,

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis:3:15.

This verse is, called by some the "Proto Euangeliuem" , that is,  the first preaching of the Gospel.

This message to Adam and Eve would created humanities general awareness that he needed a Messiah, the Scriptures follow that promise down through the ages until that moment when our Lord was born there in Bethlehem.


 Matthew is careful to show that Jesus is the Son of Abraham and the Greater Son of David, seven times in Matthew Jesus is referred to as "the Son of David"  who came forth from Bethlehem the ancestral home of the house of David fulfilling the Micah:5:2  prophecy.  And the reactionary response by the despised King Herod who the Jewish people held with much contempt. Matthew:2:16-18 

Even where the Messiah  would be from , that is how he would be called a Nazarene Matthew:23:19-23

Jesus the King

Matthew  shows the Jews that Jesus is  the "King of the Jews" from the inquiry  of the Magi in Matthew:2:2   to Pilate's question "Are you the King of the Jews?" Matthew:27:11,  to the inscription over the cross "this is Jesus King of the Jews" Matthew:27:37
Only in Matthew's account do we hear Jesus speak of His throne Matthew:19:28 and 25:31. Jerusalem which is the "city of the King"  and the heart of Israel is called "the Holy City" Matthew:4:5  and then called "the city of the great King" Matthew:5:35

In Mathew the term "Kingdom" is found over fifty  times and the term "Kingdom of Heaven"  is found thirty-five time. Matthew  more than the other Gospel writers uses the prophesies  of the Old Testament   to show that they foreshadowed the life of Jesus.

The Prophet

Matthew sows that Jesus is "The Prophet" who God spoke of to Moses. The people of Israel came to identify "The Prophet" as the promised Messiah."That Prophet"  like Moses would lead them. The Jewish religious leaders were asking John the Baptist, if he was "the Prophet"

They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He (John) answered, "No." John:1:21

"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account" Deuteronomy:18:18-19

 Matthew speaks to the very heart and hopes of the people of Israel, showing them through their very own Scripture that the One, they hoped for and prayed for had come, Son of Abraham, the Greater Son of David the second Joshua, who would led them to glory, but rejected Him, at least for a season.

In Matthew's account the Holy Spirit speaks to the heart of the Jewish people, (and all people) giving them everything they need to identify with our Lord Jesus Christ the very one they have sought.

 

to be continued 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

Fountain of Life Church

Washington, Pa 

Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on RKP Radio 1710 & 1670 in Washington, Pa.

And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com 

The Rock of Seperation

When  we read the Holy Bible through the lens of Who Jesus Christ is and all that He has accomplished and is accomplishing in our lives we can see Jesus all over the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation Jesus is there for He is that Living Word of God John:1:1

Jesus is Always Present in Scripture

  

We can  see the Holy Spirit always directing us toward our Lord Jesus Christ in so many ways , this is what the God Holy Spirit  does,  He speaks to us about Jesus, about Who He is, not just what He does.

 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me." John:15:26

The Bible in so many ways is just that, God the Holy Spirit speaking to humanity about Jesus, for all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, regardless as to who the "human author" many be.

David's Life

We can see Jesus in the Scripture accounts of  David's life overtly and subtly.  There was time before David sat on throne that he was an outlaw  in Israel. King Saul who was driven by jealousy, mental and emotional instability and hatred perused David relentlessly,  and  those men who had  joined  with David. In one such time of being perused,  David fled  to an area in Israel call  Horesh then he would flee Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon to elude King Saul. This area had  caves , hills and  a large out cropping of  rock. It was a place that seemed designed to conceal someone who needed shelter.

" in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?" 1Samuel:23:19

David Discovered

In this rocky country  , David and his men found a period of short lived safety until an agents of King Saul  became aware of  their location and sent informants to the King.

^"19 Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now then, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to do so; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” ²¹  1Samuel:23:19-21

Saul hopeful that he might finely overtake and destroy  his "perceived rival" David  welcomes the report and then, request more information from the spies sending then to obtain more information about David' movements and location  in the area.

Saul said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. ²² Go now, make more sure, and investigate and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. ²³ So look, and learn about all the hiding places where he hides himself and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

²⁴ Then they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon" 1Samuel:23:21-24

Saul Pursues

Saul upon receiving the information assembles his men and moves to chase  David and his men,

  
 ²⁵ When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon". 1Samuel:23:25

Shelter Behind The Rock

As David and his men see they are being hunted by Saul and the army David leads his men to an area that places  a massive outcropping of rock between, which separates  them and their pursuers, as Saul moves around the rock on one side  David and his men reposition themselves,  all the while  being careful , keeping the rock between them , sheltering  them hiding them from Saul's  sight in spite of his knowing that,  here, in this place was  David , yet out of his grasp. The rock separates and hides  David and his men from those who pursued them to destroy them.

 ²⁶ Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to seize them. ²⁷  1Samuel:23:26-27

Saul is Drawn Away

 

It is then when Saul believes  that he might finely capture and destroy David,   that events elsewhere  draw Saul away .   David and his men are saved from death. To commemorate their deliverance from their pursuers they name   call this great outcropping of rock "the Rock of Separation"

"But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.” ²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Separation. ²⁹ David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi" . 1Samuel:23:26

The Rock of Separation

This event in the life of David speaks of what our lord Jesus Christ  has and is doing in the lives of Christians, He is there to Separate  us from our pursuers, you see,  Jesus is that Rock of Separation  for each us. As we pass through  the wilderness of this life there are many things  that will pursue us. What ever pursues you and I , we can take shelter in our Lord Jesus Christ, he is that Great Rock- "and that rock was Christ." 1Corinthians:10:4

Jesus has places Himself  between us and our pursuers,  and in Him we are hid from them. "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" Colossians:3:3  You and I are  all safe in Jesus Christ, what ever pursues you and I,   we are sheltered in Jesus,  safe  , separated from them. We are out of  their sight so to speak.  They can not really touch us in Jesus, no matter how dogged they pursue us.

We are separated  from the accusatory voice of condemnation,
 "there is now no more condemnation, to those who are in Christ" Romans:8:1 .

Not even sin has the power to destroy us, we are separated from it by our Lord , again,
"Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."  Romans:4:8 


"that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them" 2Corinthians:5:19

We are even separated from the the full extent of satan's power to do harm to the people of God

"We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him." 1John:5:18

Separated from  power of  temptation Jesus is there to stand as that Rock for us. "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James:4:7

In Christ we are separated even from death "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1Corinthians:15:55

Never From Jesus

In Christ we have been given victory over all which would pursue us, what ever it is that dogs us in this life's wilderness we have a Savior Who is always there, Who interposed Himself between us and they that pursue us always keeping Himself there sheltering us keeping us hid in His own life and being. He has separated  us, even as the massive rock separated David and his men from Saul, from all who seek to destroy us. The only thing Jesus will never separate us from  Himself and His love from us,  He will not let you go.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews:13:5

 "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans:8:39

Jesus Christ is that Rock of Separation that we see standing forth from the pages of the word of God , always there to shelter us protect us and separate us from all that would pursue us , He is that Rock of Separation.....Amen

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

Fountain of Life Church

Washington, Pa 

Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on RKP Radio 1710 & 1670 in Washington, Pa.

And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com 

Christ Our Foundation

When My youngest son Jonathan was six years old he came into my office and made a simplistically profound statement , which he always has done.
Jonathan said to me  "Dad if you build your house on sand when it storms it will fall down, so you should build on a big rock" and so I asked him "what is the rock that a house should be built on?" and he answered  "Jesus!"...apparently he had been paying some measure of attention in our Children's church. I then asked him "what is the sand?...and he said "anything else" .

This simple exchange showed a grasp , of something that few of us learn in this life, that our house needs to be built on Jesus Christ alone.  The house on a rock is drawn from "Sermon on the Mount" which we find in the Gospel account of Matthew 7: 24-27.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.he rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew:7:24-27

The Sands  

 Jesus,  using a rhetorical illustration shows us something that will keep us stable in all storms of this life. The sand he was speaking of , was that which we find around the Sea of Galilee.  Many in Jesus' audience would have  been familiar with the  practice of mistaking the hard dry sand of that area for stable building foundation. Some would look about and seeing the dry sand would begin building their homes using the seemingly hard sand as their foundation.  And as long as the weather cooperated and there was no hard storms  in the area or only very light rains  their houses stayed standing.

Bedrock

However, what they could and should have done was to dig down and  excavating the sand away, which had they done so they would have found  solid bedrock on which they could have built. This solid  bedrock which underlays the whole area is massive in size and in depth is solid and virtually unshakable and would have provided all the stability that they could ever have needed. No amount of rain could have washed this rock away;  it is a permanent as anything in the earth can be.Unshakeable and strong.

 But the Rains Came

But , as it is in life,  the seemingly  stable house that these persons had built  on what they believed to a good foundation, came under the weather of the Galilean rainy season. Storms quickly and unpredictably  would arise and rain would fall  from the sky  which  caused sand to turn into mud. This quickly dissolving ans washing away the sand foundation, on which the people had built their houses, all of it  gave way under the falling  rain and the winds blowing in off the low lying  Sea of Galilee, which sat in a creator like depression in the earth  would accelerate the wind and the driving rains.

Inevitable Fall

 Inevitable , as the foundation shifted and devolved the wall of the house would give way to its own weight the roof would come down as Jesus said  "and it fell with a great crash"  every thing those people  who lived there had built was now  gone in a moment, washed away and  collapsed. The foundation was unsuitable to face the weather. All gone all lost in pile of tangled ruble. It was inevitable, it always happened when a house is built on the wrong foundation. The bedrock would have been better, their house would still stand in spite of the wind and rain.

The Right Foundation

Jesus in the "Sermon on the Mount", which  traditionally is  thought to have been given in the area northwest of Capernaum,  an area that would have recognized Jesus reference to the sand  .  And  just a note about  the "Sermon on the Mount",  what we are actually  reading is probably a summery of the general and longer message that Jesus had been presenting to the public as He toured the area at the very start of His public ministry after demonstrating in the Judeian Wilderness that He is the Messiah in Matthew :4:  Compare it with the "Sermon on the Plain" in Luke:6:17-49.

The lesson is  that many people in life are like those house builders who chose to build on what they believe to be a solid foundation, a foundation which will not allow their house to stand,  it can't,  when storms arise the rain falls or winds blow  it is inevitable the house of their live will come down with a great crash. 

The Rock is There 

Yet , all along there was a solid bed rock waiting to be used, just a few feet away so close at hand that it is literally underfoot. So many go through this life building on what they think will endure and give them stability against the storms of life, what ever it is that they chose to build their life's house on if it is not the solid rock it will come crashing down.

Jesus is The Rock

Jesus said "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.he rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock"

When we hear the Word of God it directs to Who Jesus is. When we hear and respond and build our lives on Him,  then we can endure the unexpected storms  that arise so suddenly.  Jesus is that Rock that we can build on  no amount of wind or rain , that is the storms of life will wash Him away. Jesus is unshakeable and strong without measure, He is able to see us through any thing that blows our way. We need to clear away the sand so that our lives can be build on the rock that is Jesus.

Christian and all people should  build their lives on Jesus he is that Rock we need under us to give us stabilty.

In Matthew :16:18- Jesus speaking to Peter 2000 years ago, but to us today as well,   uses some interesting words. Peter has just uttered his confession that Jesus "is the Christ the Son of the living God",

then Jesus speaks of His church, that is Christians throughout the ages,  he says "And I tell you that you are Peter,(Petros) and on this rock (Petra) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Now the word that Jesus uses here for rock are in the Greek ,are when speaking to Peter "Petros" which means a rock, but then uses a different word "Petra" which means a great Rock, bigger stronger, massive.

It becomes rather obvious that Jesus is speaking that Peter might be a rock, but only He Jesus is the Big Rock that should be built upon and on Him alone, nothing else will work.
I Corinthians 10:1-13; That Rock Was Christ, We are told  by Paul that Jesus is that Rock.

No Other Foundation

All other will fail us, no person, gold or silver, bricks or mortar, titles position, fame, what ever it is that we build the house of  our life upon will sustain   and give us stability and bear us up during the storms of life. Jesus is there,  practically underfoot the whole time just like that bedrock,  unshakeable ,strong and willing to be our foundation. Build your life on Jesus, all others are sand that will wash away and collapse your house when the rains fall and the wind blows. ...Jesus is the Rock, anything  else is just sand ...Amen

 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

Fountain of Life Church

Washington, Pa 

Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on RKP Radio 1710 & 1670 in Washington, Pa.

And online around the world at www.rkpradio.com