ROCK JESUS

. . . just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke to pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold (Daniel 2:45).

And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling . . . (Isaiah 8:14).

It has been said that there are about 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus Christ; the cited texts are but two of them.  One of them is actually Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzer's dream, a timeline revealing the general time of the coming of Christ and his Kingdom.

Jesus Christ is the rock on which life is to be built (Matthew 7:24-27).  For those who build their lives on Jesus, he is a sanctuary, a refuge, shelter, sustainer and an encourager, helping each one deal with the inevitable storms of life.

It was also prophesied that Jesus would become a stumbling stone to some and a rock of offense to other, and he has fulfilled that prophecy as well.  His own people rejected him when they understood that he was not the kind of king they wanted.  He is still rejected today for the same reason.  He is rejected today because he is too narrow.  He did not describe himself as a good teacher but as the way, the truth and the life.  He is not away, but the way.  He is not a truth, but the truth.  He is not one source of life, but the source of life.

Many are offended by Christ and thus try to remove any reference to him in modern life.  The Advent, Christmas, season, secularists and religionists simply call the winter holiday season--"Happy holidays," or "Season's greetings."  And, they simply refer to Good Friday and Resurrection Day, Easter, as the spring holidays.

The truth is that in the end, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).  No one will dismiss him as irrelevant! The question each person must answer now is, "Who is Jesus to me, a sanctuary, a stombling stone or an offense?"  I hope you can answer with me that Rock Jesus is redemption and hope, the foundation for life.

Grace&Peace;
Tom