Jesus, The Chief Cornerstone

Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” (Luke 20: 9-18)

Jesus answered the Jews’ question about His authority with this parable; warning them about the judgment of God over them. The man who planted the vineyard is the Father. This world belongs to God, He created it. The servants He sent are God’s prophets who were constantly rejected, and even killed by the people of Israel. The Son is Jesus, to whom they were about to kill. He was the Son of God, and His authority came from the very God they professed to serve.

What will the owner of the world do to those who reject His Son? “He will come and destroy them and give their territory to others” and He did, when the Romans conquered the Holy Land.

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” Jesus will be exalted to the right hand of the Father. All things will be subject to Him and “at His name every knee shall bow of things in heaven, and thins in earth, and things under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” He is the very foundation of all spiritual truth. He is essential, indeed the chief cornerstone!

We might not see that everything is subject to Christ at present, but God’s plan is, at the right time, gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, and when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (Hebrews 2: 8; Ephesians 1: 10; 1 Corinthians 15: 28)

The Lord said that “Whoever falls on that stone will be broken” most probably referring to people like Paul the Apostle, who opposed Jesus in ignorance. The Lord told Paul, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” What can we do to Jesus that could harm Him? He is God! And when we try to fight Him, we are the ones who break.

Jesus also said that “on whomever the stone falls, it will grind him to powder” Some people oppose Jesus in rebellion. They refuse to submit to Him. To those Jesus warns “I will grind you to powder.” This is a frightening thought! It was said by a wise preacher that one day every person who has ever lived will bow down to Jesus, and either we will bow down to Him in submission and praise, or we will bow to Him in defeat and shame, but we all bow down to Him. The end of the story is Jesus reigning forever, making His enemies His footstool; there is no other ending in God’s plan.

One day, our Savior will reign. One day every evil deed will be punished, and every good deed made in His name will be rewarded. What a wonderful truth!

For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. (Hebrews 2: 8)

Questioning Jesus?

Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Or who is he who gave you this authority?” But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer me: The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it was from. And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Luke 20: 1-8)

Have you ever had doubts about Jesus? I mean, have your ever questioned His authority? Who is this man, anyway, that you have to submit to Him?

Jesus was preaching the Gospel to the people, that is, to repent and obtain salvation through faith in Him alone. The priests, scribes and elders, who were very comfortable with their empty rules and regulations, couldn’t accept that it was possible to obtain forgiveness from God, and be declared righteous by believing in Jesus. So, they came to the Lord and asked Him, “Who gave you authority to do these things?”

The Bible tells us that “In Christ lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, and this is a clear example. He knew what was in the hearts of these men. They were not searching for truth. They had seen enough proof of His divine authority. He raised the dead, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and forgave the sins of many. Some of those men had even heard God’s voice from heaven when Jesus was baptized. They witnessed Jesus’ spotless life, and when He challenged them to openly declare any known sin in His life, they couldn’t respond.

He knew they were looking for excuses to not follow Him, so He asked them a question, “Who gave authority to John the Baptist? They were in trouble, because they knew, even if they wouldn’t admit it, that John the Baptist was a prophet. They also knew that, in spite of the evidence, they had rejected John’s message as well.  The Lord refused to play their little game, and because their hearts were so hardened by sin and pride, He let them go with their question unanswered. This was a question that each one of them would have to answer by themselves.

Have you learned enough about Jesus that you can even recite complete passages without a problem? Do you know how He lived, what He preached, and why He died? It is funny, but my husband and I were witnessing to a nice woman who is also a Mormon. This woman could recite verse after verse about Jesus, and His plan of salvation, yet she herself was lost!

After she talked for a while about Jesus, she finally had to admit that she didn’t know if she would make it to heaven. Jesus may be a historical figure for her, but He is definitely NOT her Savior. She said that after being raised in an evangelical family, she felt something was missing and she finally found what she was looking for in Mormonism.

Ironically, she passed from a religion founded by a perfect, sinless man who proved to be God, to a religion founded by an adulterous man, who died in jail shooting his attackers! She changed from a doctrine that teaches forgiveness through Jesus, and gives us the assurance of going to heaven, to a doctrine that gives her no hope, because it tells her that she has to be perfect to go to heaven, and since she is not, she can NEVER be sure!

She may have works, but she lacks peace and a true relationship with God.

What about you? Have you been presented with enough reasons to submit to Jesus, but are still asking Him to give you more reasons to do it? Have you been saved by Jesus but are still struggling to obey His Word? Submit to Him and start living a life that glorifies His Name. Have you never been saved? Trust in Him who proved to be worthy of all honor and glory; the only one who can take you to the presence of the only true God.

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, No One comes to the Father, except through Me.”  – Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Are You More Obedient Than The Evil One?

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:26-39)

The disciples had just passed through a terrible tempest, and the Lord showed them that they were safe and secure with Him. Now they were about to witness another encounter between Jesus and the devil!

The demon-possessed man came to meet Jesus. This was no ordinary man, because people of his town had tried to control him with chains and he had broken them every time. Without words, Jesus commanded the devil to come out of the man. Falling down before Jesus, the devil begged the Lord of Hosts to not torment him. When Jesus asked him his name, the devil answered, “our name is Legion”, which means that there were probably at least 3000 spirits living inside this man. No wonder nobody could control him! Nevertheless, all of them were at Jesus’ feet, pleading to not be sent to the abyss!

What a mighty Lord we have!  Even though these were thousands of demons, they knew Jesus was Lord and obeyed Him. How much more we are to honor Christ with obedience, immediate obedience, every day of our lives. Demons won’t give more respect and obedience to Jesus than we, right?

Today’s practice

Once God’s will is clear to me in the Bible, I will give honor to Jesus obeying Him immediately. I will ask Him to forgive me for my disobedience in the past.

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

“Sanctify Christ as Lord”

“But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to me, and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.And the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)

The word Lord means “supreme authority.” It appears in the Septuagint over 9,000 times from which 6,000 replaces Yahweh. Calling Jesus Lord means that He has the same attributes and absolute authority as God the father.

The Lord teaches us the logical path after salvation. First we are saved by Him, and then we learn from Him, so we can obey Him. Many of Jesus followers had been through part of the process (be saved and learn from Him) but they did not obeyed His words. “Why are you calling me Lord?” His words convey the absurdity of declaring Him absolute authority and then ignore His commandments.  Whenever we refuse to obey Jesus, a problem in our hearts is revealed. “These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me:’” (Matthew 15: 8)

Continuous disobedience to Jesus authority is a problem of the heart. We are far from Him. Sincere, wholehearted obedience will draw us near to Him again, because it is the proof that we regard Him as our absolute authority.

The Lord compares us with two different men -one with a stable spiritual life, capable of overcoming trials and tribulations, because he has learned that obedience to Jesus is the clue to an immovable faith. The other one, whose life is not founded in obedience to Christ, is set for disaster when trials and tribulations come. Which of these men resembles you, my friend?

Paul said that God the Father bestowed on the Son “the name that is above every name.” Jesus’ disciples came to understand and proclaim with Thomas: “My Lord and my God!”  Who is Jesus to you? As pastor Paul Washer well put it: “Either Jesus is everything to us or He is nothing!”

Today’s practice

I will listen and obey my Lord Jesus.

 “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord Jesus has authority over Satan

Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. Luke 4:31-38
Jesus was teaching in the temple when a demon-possessed man approached and asked him to leave them alone, (there were probably many spirits inside this man). The leader of these spirits was afraid of our Lord because He knew that Jesus was the Holy One of God, and He had the power to destroy him. At the command of Jesus, the demon kept quiet and came out of that man without harming him. Such is the authority of Jesus over unclean spirits.
It is interesting to find a possessed man in church. This tells us that the fact that a person goes to church every Sunday does not guarantee that he is saved. He can still be demon-possessed or live under the influence of Satan. Satan can be in God’s presence as long as the Lord allows him.
Nevertheless a Christian shouldn’t be afraid of demonic forces, because Satan cannot act without God’s permission. Satan and his angels are subject to the authority of Christ. There is nothing to fear, because “greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.”
Today’s practice
I’ll pray to God in the way Jesus taught us to pray: to deliver me from the evil one, with the confidence that He rules over every spiritual and physical being.
I’ll live today with the confidence that I am under the care of my Lord. He won’t let Satan touch me or harm me unless He has a purpose. I am safe in Christ’s hands. “If God is for us, who can be against us?”