| Introduction |
| What is the foundation? |
| Some facts we can learn about the foundation |
| The foundation will stand. |
| Conclusion |
1. Matt 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (KJV)
LUKE 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. (KJV)
2. The primary point of the afore mentioned passages is dealing with the person who continually does the will of God being firmly established, but it also establishes an underlying fact regarding the building of a house, that stability of a house is in direct proportion to the stability of the foundation upon which it rests. (note the comparison).
3. The scriptural Church must have the scriptural foundation; otherwise it would not be scriptural.
4. It thus becomes important that we focus our attention upon the scriptural foundation, for any Church founded upon foundation other than the scriptural foundation is doomed to failure.
A. Jesus the foundation of the Church to be a rock.
Matt 16:18 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. (KJV)
B. Some have sought to make Peter the rock upon which the Church is built. Such simply cannot be the case.
1. Peter is the word "Petros" a noun in the nominative case, masculine in the gender and singular in number.
2. Rock is the work "Petra" a noun in the dative case, feminine gender and singular in number.
3. Thus Peter and the rock upon which the Church would be built are different.
C. What is the rock upon which the Church is built? The rock is the deity of Jesus Christ.
1. Note the confession of Peter.
Matt 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (KJV)
2. His deity was firmly and forever established by the resurrection from the dead.
Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (KJV)
3. Thus the foundation that is unshakable and unmovable foundation upon which the Church is the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
II. SOME FACTS WE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE FOUNDATION.
A. It is a tried foundation.
Isaiah 28:16 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. (KJV)
- (Note from the text several observations about the stone as the foundation).
1. It's a tried stone. Tried "trial, proof", "a tried stone", and of proved stability, so as to be suitable for the foundation of a building.
2. It's a precious corner stone. "Precious-valuable".
3. It's a sure foundation-sure-"to found".
B. It is an apostolic foundation.
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (KJV)
C. It is an exclusive foundation.
1Cor 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (KJV)
1. Jesus Christ is the foundation.
2. Jesus Christ is the exclusive foundation.
D. "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner".
Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. (KJV)
1. Jesus applied this prophecy to himself.
Matt 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 marvellous in our eyes? (KJV)
2. Peter applied it to Christ.
Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (KJV)
III. THE FOUNDATION WILL STAND.
A. The foundation that Christ is the Son of God has stood over the ages and will continue to do so.
1. It was proven by His:
a. Birth:
Matt 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. (KJV)
b. Miracles:
John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (KJV)
c. Resurrection:
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (KJV)
2. Acknowledged as the Son of God by:
a. His Father:
Matt 1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: (KJV)
Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (KJV)
Matt 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (KJV)
Mark 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (KJV)
Luke 9:35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (KJV)
b. The angel Gabriel:
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (KJV)
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (KJV)
c. John the Baptist:
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (KJV)
John 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (KJV)
d. Nathaniel:
John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (KJV)
e. The Gadarene Demoniacs:
Matt 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? (KJV)
Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (KJV)
3. That which forever settled the matter was His resurrection.
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (KJV)
B. A striking comparison:
"Voltaire once boastfully declared that there would not be a copy of the Bible on earth in a hundred years. It has been more than a hundred years since his blasphemous prophecy was given, and it is no closer to fulfillment now than it was then. The same press on which this infidel prophecy was issued is now being used by the Geneva Bible Society".
1. For a Church to be the Church of the New Testament it must be built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ.
2. Any Church built upon any other foundation is resting upon the sand and will ultimately fall.
Matt 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (KJV)
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