After the parable of the wicked tenants, which was meant as an illustration of Israel’s rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Jesus said, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Christ is the cornerstone. The Kingdom of God is built upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever encounters the Living Lord will either fall into repentance and faith or fall into the judgment of God. Salvation or judgment. Broken or crushed.
Salvation involves being broken! Before embracing Christ as Lord, “self” is Lord! We are prideful, self-righteous, self-serving people who are convinced we are right with God and that God owes it to us to meet our every wish and keep us comfortable! When we truly come to Christ, it involves us understanding just how sinful and undeserving we truly are! We fall on Christ and are broken of our self-sufficiency and totally dependent upon his grace and mercy.
Judgment involves being crushed! The Lord will not allow you to always worship yourself! Christ will demonstrate to everyone either through salvation or through judgment that He is Lord! At the judgment, all who have defied Christ, rejected Christ, all who have been determined to enter into eternity their own way, all who are outside of Christ will be crushed! Arrogance will cease to exist at the judgment!
Have you been broken at the cross? Will you be crushed at the judgment?
It was right under my nose! And somebody probably has taught or preached it to me before, but here's my "new thought" from today's reading. (I'm trying to share comments that are MOSTLY "fresh manna"--not something I heard or discovered a year ago.)
ReplyDeleteNew thought: What mercy for Jesus to show His disciples that even though it IS hard for a rich person to enter God's Kingdom (18:25+26), and impossible with his own striving, it is not only possible with God but in only one chapter later (19:9) He shows how salvation WAS offered to a rich man who grasped it eagerly with both hands! There is salvation and hope offered to us too--rich, "self-made", self-confident, practical atheists here in the U.S.A.--even though our materialistic culture holds out all kinds of promises and enticements to live as if we are our own Kings and Queens!! Think of the most well-to-do, educated, un-needy person you know (at least on the surface!), and start praying ferociously for him to recognize God's grace extended even to him!!