The Foundation
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” – Isaiah 28:16.
This idea of a foundation permeates throughout the Bible. Every eight-year-old who has attended Sunday School a few times has probably heard Jesus’ parable of the man who built his house upon the sand and the fellow who built his house upon a rock. When the storm came, the house built on sand collapsed, and the house built on the rock stood firm (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:48-49). The story is more than just construction advice; it’s a guideline for a proper spiritual life and offers sound advice for all areas of our existence. One interesting thing about this parable is that we know Jesus told the story more than once. Matthew and Luke are not just telling us about the same event. In Matthew, the story is in the sermon on the mount; in Luke, Jesus tells the parable in the sermon on the plain: same story, two different sermons, two different times and places. There is no doubt Jesus emphasized building upon a solid foundation.
Even though the words of Isaiah and the parable of Jesus speak of a singular stone, people attempt to build their lives on several foundations at once: philosophy, worldly wisdom, their own opinion, the advice of others, and so on. This practice of rejecting God’s stone was prophesized in Psalm 118:22, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.”
Jesus also spoke of the rejection of the stone, God’s foundation. Matthew 21:42, “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”
The Scriptures repeat Jesus’ question about the rejection of the stone in Mark 12:10-11 and Luke 20:17. God is emphasizing the stone and its rejection.
Who or what does this stone symbolize? Where should our foundation be laid?
Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which we need to build our lives.
The above passage from Acts ends with the phrase, “whereby we must be saved.” The word “must” is strong. Jesus is not one of several means of salvation; He is the only means of salvation. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).
He is the only means to eternal life, and who better to trust in for the foundation of this life than the one who made it all and holds it all together? Colossians 1:17, “And is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
When it comes to this life, the Bible explains everything. You may not find the answer to a specific question. Still, you will find a precept on how to handle every situation and circumstance, including marriage, money, the discipline of children, the dynamics between bosses and employees, what to do when you stumble across something that isn’t yours, and much more. If it can happen, something in the Bible can tell you how to handle it.
In today’s society, people want answers quickly. Still, you can’t just pick up the Bible and find the chapter on how to raise children, for example. Scattered throughout the Bible are the instructions for living life. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Example: the topic of marriage is first mentioned in Genesis. Ephesians chapter five gives details on the love a man should have for his wife. Jesus speaks of marriage in the gospels. The book of Proverbs has dozens of small tidbits about marriage. We find out more about marriage as we read the stories of various couples within the Bible. The precepts are scattered throughout. This scattering of the details in the Scripture is true about marriage and every other subject in life. This “little by little” method God uses is precisely why He tells us to “study to shew thyself approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Is your life built on the rock of Jesus Christ, or is your life built on sand?
Preacher Tim Johnson is Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County, Indiana. His weekly column “Preacher’s Point” may be found at: www.preacherspoint.wordpress.com