Christ my precious cornerstone

 

Isaiah 8:14 He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

This word is about Christ, the Stone God had laid down for the church. We read about it in many places in the Bible. He will be as a sanctuary.

1 Peter 2:6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Zion

A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

During December, the Youth Conference, Christmas and the new year this word has accompanied me and I would like to preach on the preciousness of Christ who is the cornerstone and foundation of our faith.

We were happy and praised the Lord during Christmas time as we were told the story of the shepherds to whom the angels appeared, they proclaimed joy and peace on earth and goodwill to all men. This happened at night, yet the place was bright with light. Why, what made us happy? Because Christ came to pay the ultimate price for our sins. He Himself became the sacrifice. However, there is a special way in which Christ became the cornerstone to me. That is how He is the One with whom we should maintain a relationship, whose face you and I must seek throughout the day, in all we do.

I don’t know to what extent you have already seen this truth. Where does this relationship start? It starts when I bring my sins to Christ, name them and receive forgiveness. Christ instantly forgives me.

Some people say if you confess your sins you are working for your salvation. Well, if that is work that is sufficient to buy your and my salvation, then our salvation is very cheap. Just confessing our sins? Can we call that works? What a ridiculous thought. But that is how we receive forgiveness, no matter where we are from, no matter how grave the sins are that we have committed. That is where it all starts, at the Cross. And everybody should experience it.

Years ago there were five communists in a Russian communist prison. They hated all religions, but especially Christians. They said that religion is the opium of the people because it removes you from reality.

These five young men were involved in groups that would go and infiltrate churches, beat the congregants up, breaking their bones and trying to break up the fellowship. They arrested Christians and took them to prison, interrogating them to find out who the chief leaders of the church were. I wonder whether we would stand under such persecution. If the Christians refused to say who their fellow brethren and leaders were, they would turn them upside down and beat the soles of their feet. They would take needles and push them under their nails just a little bit and leave it like that for a day, The next day they would come and say, “are you ready to speak?” “No, I am not ready.” Then they would push the needle a little deeper in under the nail. Slowly they tortured the Christians to expose their leaders and to destroy the churches.

But communists didn’t get upset with Christians only, but with each other as well. And they’d fight and kill one another. So these five young men were sentenced to execution for their crimes.

Friends, I don’t know how some of us will stand before God’s throne one day. We are receiving God’s word through preaching day in and day out, week in and week out. Why don’t you respond, why continue with your anger and lusts, and wicked dreams.

One married woman came to speak to me one day. She said, there is a young man working with me, I know exactly how his psychology works, I could play with him and he will fall into my lap like a ripe apple. But as a Christian married woman, I’m not supposed to do that: but why does she think like that? Friend, have you allowed similar thought sins in your life?

These five young men were sentenced to death. One of them started walking up and down singing a song. “Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast”. The others said to him, “What are you singing? What is this about?” He said, “I don’t know, but my grandmother used to sing this every day as she washed the dishes and worked in the house”. “What does that mean?” the others asked.

Another one said, “I saw a painting of Jesus hanging on the Cross with His arms wide open to welcome those who would come to Him. That is maybe what it is all about, this Jesus, we will be safe if we go into His arms because He died for us”.

Then another said, “You know what the word for Sunday is (in Russian)? That word means ‘He has risen!’”. They just needed three sermons, each one consisting of one point. All five of them went on their knees, and they surrendered their lives to God. They brought their sins to Christ. They ended up walking to the gallows singing with joy in their hearts with beaming faces – Safe in the arms of Jesus.

Have you already come with all your sins, your evil, your drinking, your cursing? Then you will understand the words of the hymn by Charles Wesley:

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

Oh friend, have you experienced that? So this is why Isaiah says, and He will become a sanctuary, a holy place. A consecrated place means it is exclusively committed to serving the Lord Jesus and God the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is the stone on which our faith is built. This living relationship with the Lord Jesus, where I seek His face day by day, speak to Him, pray to Him, hear Him answer me. And my life is consecrated to Him.

Another place where the stone is spoken of, in Isaiah, it is called a precious stone. It is also a place of refuge, a place where I can flee to when there is danger. How suitable for Christmas, then I continued reading. A sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense to both houses of Israel. As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I thought, Lord, you have taken all the glory from the verse. More time is spent speaking about the negative than the positive. Now You begin speaking about the fact that He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, a trap and a snare. It seemed so unsuitable for Christmas,

Then Isaiah continues – verse 15. Many will stumble, fall, broken, snared, be taken.

This is possibly God’s message to you and me, as we go into the new year of 2025. There is a possibility that this blessed, precious stone, the cornerstone, can become a stone of offence to me as I go through the year.

Why would He be a stone of offense to us? Natural man sees himself as good. He doesn’t like it when it is preached about his sins and he doesn’t want to be seen as a lustful and proud person. Because of that, he becomes offended by the Gospel.

Do you realise that there is the danger that to come to the mission will cause you more harm than if you had not come? It would have been better for the Israelites not to be confronted with the stone.

I came across a verse that explained very well to me why we become offended by the Gospel. Please allow me to say this by the way, Rev Stegen said a few times that the most important thing in His life was not to preach the Gospel, nor to serve other people, but that his relationship with the Lord was right, in other words to have this cornerstone.  Because that relationship is the stone by which I will be victorious over the world.

Why would we become offended by the death and sacrifice of Christ?

Psalm 64:6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.  

God speaks here about the heart of man. There is another verse in the Old Testament which says, the heart of man is deceitful above all other things. There is a Judas inside you. You have to betray him, otherwise you will betray God.

If we don’t remain humble before God, being open to God to convict us of our sins, Christ can become a stumbling block to us. The word “deep” can be translated as “mysterious, unsearchable”. The meaning of the Hebrew word used here, it says ‘deep as hell, desperately wicked, who can know it’. That is what the Hebrew word says of our hearts, they are deep as hell.

I know of a young Christian girl, I’ll call her Dinah. She had a calling to the mission field. But there was a young Christian man in her church who had made it clear that he felt no calling to become a missionary. She began to develop feelings for this young man. Finally, she felt that God is leading her to marry this young man. Remember we are speaking about the mysterious, deceitful, wicked heart. She thought, let me marry him, maybe I can also give him a passion for the mission field and then he can also become a missionary. In the end she never went to the mission field.

The Bible says our hearts are as deep as hell and desperately wicked, or unaccountably wicked. The heart is also subtle and sly, not blatantly open. It is even compared to malignant tumours. Our hearts can even be charming, sweet, very nice, but also bewitching, like entertainment, and yet blind, tending to occupy and fill one’s whole life. That is why getting to know the Lord Jesus becomes a trap to some people.

I will never forget something that Rev Stegen told us. We were at a men’s camp close to Pretoria where he preached. He told us about a woman who used to come regularly to the mission. She counselled a lot each time she came. Each time she asked for prayer for her unbelieving husband. She told the most terrible stories about this husband of hers.

Be careful, even when you ask for counsel, that you are not deceived, but that you only speak the truth. She counselled with quite a few persons on the mission and everyone knew how she was suffering under her husband.

Then one day Rev Stegen was travelling and he passed through the town where this lady lived. He thought he would go in and greet her and maybe talk to her husband. As he knew the address, he went to the house. He knocked on the door and the husband opened the door. The husband said, Rev Stegen, what a privilege and a blessing to see you. Have you come all the way to greet us? Listen, you won’t believe how happy my wife will be, let me surprise her. He called to her, ‘Darling, honey, just come and see here!’ Then the voice came from the kitchen. ‘Are you troubling me again! How many times have I told you I can’t come when I’m busy with mixing the bread. My hands are full of dough, what is the story, what do you want me for now?’ Rev Stegen said, the penny dropped and he understood everything. He understood why her husband was not interested in the Gospel.

Let me just add, if you speak to your counsellor, be careful that you speak the truth, you can get your mentor on your side, but one day you will stand before the living God and all will be made clear.

The last four meanings of the word “deep” in Hebrew are: cunning, clever, but not straight. It is like a fox, a sly animal. Also scheming and shrewd. If you have been reminded of occasions where you have been scheming, sly and shrewd; maybe young men with girls, young girls with men, bring that into the light that Christ can wash and cleanse you of that. The last explanation of deep is, it is an offspring of the old serpent. Here I have mentioned a few things that can cause Christ to become a curse and a stumbling block to you.

There is one sin that we preach about very seldom. That is the “sin of omission”. The sin of failing to do what you were supposed to do. And for that I want us to go to the book of Colossians. The sin of omission was the sin of the man who received on talent – he did not damage his talent, throw it away, or lose it – he took care of it – he wrapped it up and buried it so that nothing could happen to it. But what did he do wrong? He didn’t use the one talent he received to gain more talents.

Colossians 3:12 – 15 (Amplified Bible) 12 So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; 13 bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. 14 Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. 15 Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always]. 

What are thing like amongst us – do you have compassion and kindness in the way you behave?  We must not just avoid sin, but we have to act positively with all these fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

The church, the body of Christ should be bound together in unity.

Dear friend, is the peace of Christ the controlling factor in your life?

Baba Dube has so often spoken about the importance of being thankful. He mentioned how some people stumbled into grave sins because they were not faithful in giving thanks. Have we added this to our lives? If so, then we have worked with our talents and have added new ones to them. God doesn’t just call you and me not to do evil. He also calls us to do good.

Go forward. Continue listening to the voice of God. One must discern between one’s heart and feelings, and the voice of God. So, the foundation, this Rock which is Christ on which we build our lives, means  a living relationship with Him, where He speaks to me, I speak to Him and He teaches me. In order to do that, don’t be surprised if you have to die to yourself daily.

This morning I read a card from Rev Stegen’s quotes. He said, the apostles were given strength, ability and power. We get these from Christ. If you carry your cross daily denying yourself, people will be blessed by you.

Remember God does not leave His children to wander aimlessly through every day, not knowing what is right and wrong. But it so easily happens that my heart gets clogged up with the things of the world and its temptations coming my way including the desires of my flesh. These things block my heart so that I cannot continue with this living relationship with Christ.

First principle: your life must be clean in order to hear God’s voice. Otherwise you will think God is leading you here when actually He is leading elsewhere and you end up being confused. If your heart is clean, you will be able to identify the voice of God. It is often soft, but clear. It brings peace when you obey. In this way God will lead us into a deeper relationship with Him where we have to trust Him  from hour to hour.

Don’t be surprised if you find life so challenging that from hour to hour you need to seek God’s face, will and guidance.

That is what it is like if Christ is the Rock which is a blessing to us, the cornerstone, the precious gem.

May God have mercy on us.

M Ngubane

How privileged we are to have this rock. If we hold onto this rock, we will never be ashamed or harmed.

So, our faith requires us to pay a price, it is clear there are things we need to let go of, things we need to destroy in our lives. Firstly sin with its carnality, passion and lust, otherwise we will never experience the joy of walking with Christ.

But if we stand upon and hold onto this Rock, storms may come our way and we will not be moved.

We heard that for some it is a stumbling block, especially to the nation of Israel, to those in Jerusalem, in other words, especially to God’s children. This is completely contrary to our expectations, how can the Stone become a stumbling block to His children?

The enemy of our souls, the devil will come to you if he sees you are holding on to this Rock which is Christ, he will try in different ways to remove you. We have heard what happens if the devil comes and he takes your heart captive and then that heart becomes unfathomable, deep. By God’s grace, let us not allow that.