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daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
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Monday,
February
15,
2021
Friday evening when we returned home from a
Piercing Word presentation we passed a farm on Colebrook
Road that displayed bright lights, perhaps more than any
farm we've seen in Lancaster County. (See below for one of
the barns)
"A Rock Of
Offense"
Message summary: We
who follow Christ must seriously heed the word
from the apostle Jude, "Contend for the faith
that was once for all entrusted to the saints".
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (1 Peter 2:7,8). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
"Woke" is a political term originating in the United States referring to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social and racial justice. It is now being manifest in some of the most absurd ways imaginable leading to faulty and often harmful judgments. This often originates from those who scour our culture attempting to find something they deem offensive. Recently the venerable country restaurant chain "Cracker Barrel" came under attack by someone who deemed the name and logo racist. Immediately it was proven to be a complete fabrication but not before it got tweeted out by the "woke" crowd who can't be convinced otherwise.*
That's a sample of a current day "offense" but today we are going to examine an ancient offense, one that cuts to the very core of the gospel message. The apostle Paul spoke of the "offense of the cross" in Galatians 5:11. Many are offended at the notion of the cross with God's only provision for our sin problem being through His Son, Jesus Christ. Peter spoke about the "rock of offense".
Listen
to this message on your audio player."The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (1 Peter 2:7,8). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
"Woke" is a political term originating in the United States referring to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social and racial justice. It is now being manifest in some of the most absurd ways imaginable leading to faulty and often harmful judgments. This often originates from those who scour our culture attempting to find something they deem offensive. Recently the venerable country restaurant chain "Cracker Barrel" came under attack by someone who deemed the name and logo racist. Immediately it was proven to be a complete fabrication but not before it got tweeted out by the "woke" crowd who can't be convinced otherwise.*
That's a sample of a current day "offense" but today we are going to examine an ancient offense, one that cuts to the very core of the gospel message. The apostle Paul spoke of the "offense of the cross" in Galatians 5:11. Many are offended at the notion of the cross with God's only provision for our sin problem being through His Son, Jesus Christ. Peter spoke about the "rock of offense".
As
you get older it's interesting to consider passing
fads, including religious ones. Back in the early
seventies there was a resurgence in Christianity
known as "The Jesus Movement". I was a part of
that movement which had a powerful impact on my
early days of discipleship. At that time a popular
expression of faith was to greet a fellow believer
in the hallways of Truman High School in
Independence, MO with our index finger raised
signifying, "One Way Jesus". Now in 2021 it's hard
to imagine walking through a public place like a
mall and greeting people with an upraised index
finger! Among other things some may mistake what
finger I am raising! Also in our hypersensitive
culture expressions this symbol of faith would
probably be misunderstood and offensive to many.But we remain steadfast in our belief in regard to what that gesture symbolizes, that “Salvation is found in no one else (apart from Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”.
One of the great issues confronting the true church is the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as God’s only appointed way of salvation, as taught in Scripture which is an offense to many. Now the politically correct, seemingly more loving, tolerant view is that Christianity is only one of "many valid ways" to get to heaven. Preachers who unwaveringly support the Biblical and historic position are now maligned as being unenlightened, hateful or intolerant.
In this age when tolerance has been elevated to a false god, we must have a solid foundation in what the Scriptures say about this matter and the Scriptures are unambiguous. But sadly even some in the church are compromising on this issue and many others, without a solid Biblical underpinning may be tempted to do so as well. After all, who wants to be considered “narrow-minded and ignorant”, as I heard one individual describe people that believe as I do.
The apostle Peter made the bold assertion in the daily verse, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." He may have been recalling the words of the Lord; "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Later the apostle Paul expressed the same truth in 1 Timothy 2:5,6, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time."
We who follow Christ must seriously heed the word from the apostle Jude, "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints". Our Lord Himself, as well as the apostolic preaching and teaching of the early church, make it very clear that Christ is God’s only appointed provision for salvation. Let us steadfastly and unashamedly resist the temptation to concede on this vitally important doctrine, regardless of how offensive it might be to some.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we thank You for our
salvation that is found in no one else but Jesus,
for there is no other name under heaven given to us
whereby we can be saved. In the powerful name of
Jesus demons are cast down, sinners are set free
from the shackles of sin, and the sick are made
whole. In the name of Jesus every knee will bow,
those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under
the earth to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of the Father. We gratefully proclaim that
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior who has redeemed
us through His shed blood that we might be forgiven
our sins and be saved for all eternity. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Let It Be Jesus" Video Passion (Christy Nockels)
Calvary Church led worship yesterday
with the strings orchestration which we both
enjoy. In this video is a powerful song "The Victor's Crown" usually led by the choir before
COVID so it really resonated with me,
Brooksyne - musically, lyrically, and
spiritually. Video
Friday evening we attended a
Piercing Word presentation. This group of
young people recite memorized Scripture in
dramatic and musical presentations
word-for-word from the ESV Bible. "Piercing Word". Mission
and Vision - We seek to ignite passion for the
Word of God in the heart of the Church. We do
this by engaging people with live Scripture
Performances, challenging everyone to memorize
God’s Word for themselves, and equipping the
Church with resources for Bible memorization
and study.
A
new barn from the farm on Colebrook Road (Google map) we passed
Friday night.
Finally today:
Not to appear partial, as Ester claims
we are at times, we post a photo of Mollie here
with her new Lamb Chops stuffed animal. Mollie
may be the biggest but she sure likes to cuddle
her stuffed animals like when she was a small
pup, though admittedly some of them get shredded
to pieces and others she chooses to cuddle.
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Weber".Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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