Stone Of Mystery

Jesus can be either a stone of stumbling or the rock of ages. 

A Rock

1 Peter 2:8 (ESV)

and

“A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

The stone of stumbling is the rock of our salvation. The destiny of a man depends on our response to the word of God. He has spoken His word of light into the world. It is our choice to listen. 

Whoever Believes

1 Peter 2:6 (ESV)

For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Jesus was predestined to be the cornerstone of the new and living temple. Whoever believes in Him is predestined to be a stone in the house of the Lord. That person is chosen by God as a precious son with whom He delights and loves. Even one as me. 

The End Draws Near

Revelation 22:13 (ESV)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

The beginning took place. The end draws near. 

The Only Way

The only way for Adam to lose the life of God was through disobedience to Him. 

The only way for us to the life of God is through obedience to Him. 

When I Am Weak

2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Our weakness becomes our strength when we give it to the Lord. Realizing our weakness opens the door to the strength and comfort that only He can provide. 

The Path

Proverbs 12:28 (ESV)

In the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

The way to immortal life is the righteousness of Christ. It is in Him we share in His righteousness. It is in Him we share in the life of our Father. 

Being Lost

Being lost in the world does not compare with being lost in the heart.

But that does not compare with being lost and found. 

The Fruit

Proverbs 11:30 (ESV)

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and whoever captures souls is wise.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit comes from the tree of life. The tree of life is the union of God and man which is eternal. 

To the one who overcomes the world will eat from the tree of life. 

Prepare A Place

John 14:2-3 (ESV)

2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

We are being transformed by Jesus through the Holy Spirit into the perfected rooms of His Father’s house where we will dwell in Him and He will dwell in us.  This is the the living temple that will descend from heaven into the New Jerusalem. 

You Will See

John 1:39 (ESV)

He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus won’t get you anywhere in this world, but He takes us way beyond that to where He is staying. 

Come and see. 

Her House

Proverbs 9:1 (ESV)

The Way of Wisdom

Wisdom has built her house;

she has hewn her seven pillars.

The wisdom of the Lord has created the seven pillars of His house. These are depicted as seven lampstands in Revelation that represent the Church who becomes the light of the world. This is the new and living temple foreshadowed by the tent of meeting and temples on earth built by the hand of man according to the example in heaven. 

The real temple is the body of Christ. He is the cornerstone and we are the stones that complete its construction. It is built by the hand of God. The New Jerusalem will not need a temple because He and we will be the temple and the light of the world. 

Jesus is the way. 

Imagine That

Imagine a desert where the earth is reduced to sand and rocks. This was the promised land of Israel until they were gathered from the nations into their home. The land is transformed back to a fruitful and bountiful place. 

Now imagine a heart of stone receiving the living waters of heaven and being transformed into a heart of flesh begins to bear the fruit of the Spirit and is transferred into the abundant life of God. 

Imagine that. 

To Be Content

Philippians 4:11 (ESV)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

Being content is a state of mind, regardless of how little or how much one has. The ultimate contentment is the Sabbath rest of God. 

Before The Beginning

Proverbs 8:22-23 (ESV)

22 “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,

the first of his acts of old.

23 Ages ago I was set up,

at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

Christ is the wisdom of the Lord. He is the way, the truth, and the life. 

Faithful

1 Thessalonians 5:24 (ESV)

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Blessed are those who despite the failings of the flesh place their faith in the power of the Lord to save and redeem all those who come to Him. 

He is faithful. 

The Fruit

Doing right does not replace the fruit of the Spirit. 

The fruit of the Spirit is found on the branches of the tree of life which becomes rooted in the heart of man. 

Final Creation

God is one. We know and experience Him as Three in One because He has entered creation as the Holy Spirit and as Jesus the Son of God. The Father is outside of creation. 

He has combined our flesh with His Spirit that embodies heaven and earth into a new and final creation. 

I AM

Mark 14:61-62 (ESV)

61 But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

When Moses asked God who sent him to the people of Israel, He said, “I AM.”

When Jesus was asked if He was the Son of God, He said, “I AM.”

Jesus said that He and the Father are one. 

Poured Out For Many

Mark 14:22-24 (ESV)

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

The Jews were chosen to bring the Lamb of God as the ultimate sacrifice for the salvation of mankind and atonement with God. They served the Lord by providing the flesh and bone God used to enter creation and serve as the living temple uniting heaven and earth. 

They are servants of the Lord who fulfilled His purpose for the world. They planted the seed of the word in the earth of man that will grow into the tree of life. 

This Time Forth And Forevermore

Psalms 121:7-8 (ESV)

7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

8 The LORD will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

He gives us life that is full and forevermore. We will never be lost or forgotten, for His eye is always on us and His heart is ours. 

Of His Own Substance

Proverbs 5:23 (NETS)

He comes to an end with the uninstructed,and he was cast forth from the abundance of his own sustenance

and perished through folly.

The one who is full of himself has no room for the presence of the Holy Spirit who leads us in the way of life. He goes the way of grass in the field- here today and gone tomorrow. 

Yet He Has Drawn Near

Creation began with the infinite mind and power of God. Our speculations and theories are put forth by our finite understanding and the weakness of man. 

The expanse between the two is vast, yet He has drawn near. 

Faith Working

Galatians 5:6 (ESV)

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

If we are saved by the grace of God, we will see the work of grace in our lives. Faith is a gift of God’s grace, given in love and expressed in love. 

Whom He Loves

Proverbs 3:11-12 (ESV)

11 My son, do not despise the LORD'S discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12 for the LORD reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.

Discipline is part of the transformation of a man into a son of God. The nature of man gives way to the nature of God through the abiding of His Holy Spirit. He leads in the way we should go and His yoke is easy. 

He loves us enough to share His life. 

Clouds Drop Down The Dew

Proverbs 3:19-20 (ESV)

19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding he established the heavens;

20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,

and the clouds drop down the dew.

Wisdom and understanding come from the Lord and have established creation. He shares wisdom and understanding with those He draws to the light of the heavens. 

The waters of mankind are separated according to the light above and the darkness below. The living waters of the Word of life settle on those made alive by the knowledge of the Lord. 

We Don’t Know

Job 38:1-2 (ESV)

1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

One lesson of the Book of Job is that we don’t know what we don’t know. 

All She Had To Live on

Mark 12:43-44 (ESV)

43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Matthew 5:3 (ESV)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It is the poverty of spirit, a contrite heart, that allows one to give their life to the Lord. Poverty of spirit has nothing to do with coins or wealth. It has everything to do with the emptying of self to allow room for the Holy Spirit into the heart. 

The poverty of man opens the door to the riches of heaven. 

He Predestined Us

Ephesians 1:5 (NASB)

He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

The evolution of creation is by design. God predestined the way we should go. It is a function of time and the will of God. 

It all started with His word. It will end as He says: forever. 

Curtain Torn

Mark 15:37-38 (ESV)

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Israel worshiped God in the temple, but could not enter the Holy of Holies. 

Jesus opened the way to the Holy of Holies through His self sacrifice. The Holy of Holies now resides in the heart of man, for that is where the Father and Son have come to abide. 

Stand Forever

Isaiah 40:6-8 (ESV)

6 A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the LORD blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever.

Every flower has a color and beauty of its own, but just for a moment. So it is with us. 

If we receive the word of God, our beauty is forever. It is the color of the Divine. 

And Have It Abundantly

John 10:10 (ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

How big is the universe?

How far can you see?

What remains?

How deep and wide is the universe within?

How far can you see?

What awaits?

Imagine ranging in both directions unhindered by the limits of mortality. 

Are you ready for a more abundant life?

One

Everything that is came from a singularity, a oneness from which we liken to a “Big Bang.” Science supports this understanding. 

God is one. 

The Sons Of Pride

Job 41:32-34 (ESV)

32 Behind him he leaves a shining wake;

one would think the deep to be white-haired.

33 On earth there is not his like,

a creature without fear.

34 He sees everything that is high;

he is king over all the sons of pride.”

Satan moves within the sea of man masquerading as a creature of light. He has been a deceiver from the beginning. 

He is the prince of this world and “king over all that are proud”, for pride was his downfall and the root of his rejection from heaven. He will take many with him. 

Getting It Right

You can do the right things, and still not be right. 

The View

Everyone who is alive has a worldview, even if they are blind. It has less to do with what we see and more to do with what we think, even if we don’t think much about it. 

 When it’s informed by the word of God, the view is breathtaking!

A Marriage Made In Heaven

Man is made in the image of God, male and female. The image of God incorporates the union of heaven and earth. Jesus the Son of God becomes a man. The bride of Christ becomes one with Him, thus we are made in His image. 

He has taken our image for His own. We take His image for our own. It is a marriage made in heaven. 

Two By Two

Mark 6:7-9 (ESV)

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.

The Lord told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground before the burning bush. Jesus sends His disciples into the wilderness which is home to unclean spirits and men. Sandals would be necessary when journeying on the unholy ground of the world. 

They were to take a staff which symbolizes the power and authority of the Lord. They would travel depending solely on His divine providence. 

The Result

The mind, soul, heart, and spirit are non-material manifestations of our existence housed in these temporary bodies of the flesh of creation. 

We come into this world with a seed of eternity within planted in the earth of our mortality. When we take the seed of the word into ourselves, the result is heavenly. 

My Portion

Psalms 119:57-58 (NASB)

Heth.

57 The LORD is my portion;

I have promised to keep Your words.

58 I sought Your favor with all my heart;

Be gracious to me according to Your word.

The Lord is our inheritance and our promised land. It is not on this earth, but the kingdom of heaven which begins in the heart of those who love the Lord. 

The earth of our bodies will be transformed into a new creation according to His word and we will be like Him.