Discover what it means to build your house on the Rock instead of the shifting sands.
SHOW NOTES
Rolling Stones and the Rock Mountain Building on a Solid Foundation Matthew 7
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.So, what is Jesus saying? What is the bedrock he is referring to? Why do the listeners receive his teaching as having such authority?
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus Matthew 16
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”[a] 14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah orone of the other prophets.” 15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (Petros-rolling stone), and upon this rock (Petra-massive rock)Iwillbuildmychurch,andallthepowersofhell[e] willnotconquerit.19AndIwillgiveyouthekeysoftheKingdomofHeaven.Whateveryouforbid[f] onearthwillbe forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit[g] on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Petros or Peter is man at his best—recognizing that Jesus is Messiah.
Messiah = Christos = Anointed One = the King = Saviour = the One who does for you what you cannot do for yourself. Messiah does help you but he is far more than a helper. Your birth mother is your saviour. You could not birth yourself. Your mother did not need your help. You had no part in the process.
The airline pilot is your travel saviour. They do not need your help. Your part is to get to the airport. The neurosurgeon is your saviour if you have a brain tumour. Your part is to show up! He/she does not need your help.
Paul’s identifies the Rock 1 Corinthians 10
1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. (guided, protected, water, food, health, spiritual relationship) 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (They did not get the relationship God was trying to have with them.)
The rejected Rock Matthew 21:42-44
42 Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?‘The stone that the builders rejected (did not look good enough.) has now become the cornerstone. (Most important stone.)
This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ (Isaiah 28:16)43 I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. 44 Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.[b]” (Luke 20:18, Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:8)
The great longing of the human heart is for more than we are.
When the princess kisses the frog, it turns into the powerful, handsome prince. When the prince kisses sleeping beauty, she awakes to a wonderful life of romance. When the prodigal son returns to be a servant, his father treats him as his privileged son. (Robe, ring, sandals and fatted calf.)
Those who are victorious (over their pathetic failure of imagination—Revelation 21:8 cowards outside the city) will sit on the throne with Jesus
Revelation 3:21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
Romans 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children[a] of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For hisSpirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Galatians 3:29 Galatians 4:7 Jesus knows me by name.
I am precious to him. He has forgiven all my sins and written my name in his book of life. I am his royal brother. We are heirs together of God’s glory. My failures are not the interest of Jesus. His interest is that I learn to think the way he does about myself and others. He wants to inspire and fire my imagination with wonder.
In the movie, “The Chosen” when Jesus invites Matthew the tax collector to become a disciple Peter is most upset with Jesus. As if Peter was a credit to Jesus when he was called. Peter’s imagination was pathetically poverty stricken. O Lord fire my imagination. Let me dare to think as you do!
Ian Hartley, January 2021