Sep 17
7
WHERE DO YOU STAND?
Isaiah 28: 14-18
The LORD God Laid the Foundation (v16.)
Christ Jesus the Son of God is the foundation (Genesis 49: 24: I Cor 3: 11.) In his eternal purpose God the Father chose his Son to manifest the triune God in a body. He was chosen of God to manifest the righteousness of God, to declare that our God is just in the salvation of his people. Christ was chosen to honor and magnify the law, to fulfill all that is written, to live as the righteous Representative of his people, to die in their place and put away their sin. He finished the work. At the heart of every refuge of lies is the liar who made it. “Ye have said, ‘We have made a covenant.’” (v15.) “Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone.” God chose Christ that no flesh should glory in his presence. If you or I made our refuge then it is a refuge of lies. The covenant of God is not a covenant which the sinner makes. God’s covenant is ordered by God, made sure by God and God makes his covenant with those he has everlastingly loved.
Christ Jesus is the Tried Stone (v16)
The Lord has been tried by every believer in every age and he has proven faithful to save to the uttermost (Mal 3: 10.) Christ Jesus was tried by Satan (Mt 4: 1-11.) We get hungry and murmur, but not Christ. This is an age of adrenaline junkies, tempting God, but not the tried Stone. If man is given a choice between worshipping God and making just a few hours of overtime-pay he usually takes the money, but not the Lord Jesus. Then on the cross, this Stone was tried by his Father. He was made to feel the awful agony of the sin of every chosen child of God. Worst of all he suffered the eternal, holy wrath of God. Through it all, God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;” and he says to you and I, “Hear ye him!” (Mt 3: 17.)
Christ Jesus is the Precious Corner Stone (v16.)
The corner stone is the point of unity. The whole building is held together by the corner stone. Christ is more precious than all else because in him is oneness. The triune God and all his elect children are knit together in unbreakable union, in One, Christ Jesus the Corner Stone. Jew and Gentile, male and female, rich and poor, are “reconciled unto God in one Body by the cross” (Eph 2: 19-22.) Christ who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all of one, this is the reason he is not ashamed to call us brethren. (Heb 2: 11.) Therefore to you who believe Christ Jesus is precious. (I Pet 2: 7, 8.)
Christ Jesus is the Sure Foundation (v16.)
He is that Rock upon which he said the wise man rests his house (Mt. 7: 24-27.) If your holiness is in your acts then are you sure you are absolutely perfect? God receives none but completely perfected, holy saints. That can be said only of those in whom Christ abides and who abide in Christ in glorious oneness through faith. If your righteousness is in your “works” then are you sure you are righteous before God? God receives his Righteous Son alone, and only those resting in Christ by faith. If your wisdom is in your coming to the doctrines of grace then are you sure you have wisdom? Christ is the Power and Wisdom of God to those who have been truly called, he says, “Come unto me.” If you think that the least little thing you have done has made you God’s own then are you sure you are God’s purchased possession? God’s children were each purchased by the precious blood of Christ Jesus. The Spirit alone seals his redeemed.
He That Believeth Shall Not Make Haste (v16)
The word is not he that willeth or he that worketh or he that runneth but HE THAT BELIEVETH. Faith receives a fully completed work of salvation. The believer is complete in Christ Jesus. He that continues believing shall not be moved. The gates of hell can not prevail against Christ the Rock. God would have to cease being God for this foundation to give way. He that continues believing shall not be put to shame (I Peter 2: 6; Rom 9: 33.)
Where is Your Hope Built?
When darkness veils Christ’s lovely face, where do you rest? In every high and stormy gale, where does your anchor hold? When all around your soul gives way then who is all your hope and stay? When Christ comes with trumpet sound, in whom and how, will you be found?
Christ is the Only Refuge. Every other is a refuge of lies! Wherefore, hear the word of the LORD, “Enter into the Rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty…And he shall be for a sanctuary; he that believeth shall never be moved!” (Isaiah 2: 10; 8:14; 28: 16)
Clay Curtis.