“Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation…” (Isa. 28:16 ESV)

Foundation: base, bedrock, bottom, cornerstone, footing, root, underpinning, anchorage, brace, bulwark, buttress, infrastructure, mount, prop, substratum, substructure, support

The foundation is Jesus Christ

“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11 ESV)

God’s firm foundation stands

“But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (2 Tim. 2:19 ESV)

Therefore…

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24-27 ESV)

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16 ESV)

Holiness: The most basic meaning of the word holy is to be "set apart" or "dedicated" to God. Biblical terms translated "holy" or "holiness" (qadosh, hagios) carry a strong secondary connotation of moral purity. Holiness is not primarily about moral purity. It's primarily about union with God in Christ and sharing in Christ's holiness.

Bring holiness to completion

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1 ESV)

You shall be holy to God

“You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” (Lev. 20:26 ESV)

“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.” (1 Thess. 4:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” (2 Tim. 2:21 ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil…” (2 Tim. 2:23-24 ESV)

Avoid quarreling and show perfect courtesy

“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:1-2 ESV)

“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” (2 Tim. 2:14 ESV)

Give a soft answer

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1 ESV)

A wise man quietly holds back

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” (Prov. 29:11 ESV)

“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”.  (Psalm 136:4 ESV)

Plans change in an instant

A couple of days ago, my next door neighbor died after a brief illness. Recently he had told me he was going to retire at the end of this year and would finally be able to get around to the many projects he planned to do. He liked to restore classic cars and work on projects around his yard. Today, I walked past his house and saw his pickup parked on the street in front of his house where he had left it and the classic car he had been working on sitting in his driveway. I felt sad to realize my neighbor was truly gone. In an instant, all his plans were stopped when he breathed his last. But, that in a nutshell, is all our stories. We are all here for only a brief time.

Everyone dies

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Heb. 9:27 ESV)

The dead will be raised

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:51-57 ESV)

Someday death will be no more

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4 ESV)

Hachiko bronze statue at the Shibuya Station

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

A remarkable story of faithfulness

When I think of what it means to watch faithfully and wait, I think of the famous story of Hachico, the Akita breed, dog born on November 10, 1923 in Japan. Hidesaburo Ueno was his master, a professor in the agriculture department at University of Tokyo who took Hachiko as a pet in the year 1924. The dog and his master became good friends and developed an attachment such that Hachiko used to greet his master at the end of each day at the nearby train station. This daily routine continued until May 1925 when the professor died of a cerebral hemorrhage and did not return to the train station where Hachiko was waiting for him. Every day for the next nine years, Hachiko waited for his master at the Train station in the same evening time. People who saw the dog with his master earlier understood the faith of Hachiko for his master and that is how the dog became famous in the country. Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya. Hachiko  faithfully waited for his master to return, but sadly, he never did. But, we have the promise that our Master, Jesus, will in fact, return for us someday, in the same way He left. Therefore, we wait faithfully and expectedly, for His return with complete assurance.

“… Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 BASV)

Therefore…

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Man. 3:25 ESV)

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isa. 49:31 ESV)

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11 ESV)

The Christmas party

When I was a young Youth For Christ director in our county, I often spoke at youth groups and churches around our community. Money was tight in those days and sometimes they would give me a small offering which I was glad to get. Just before Christmas one year, a local church invited me to speak at their evening service which included a Christmas party afterwards. They asked me to bring my wife and children, which I did. Because it was the Christmas season I decided to speak on the subject of giving with the title of my message, “Why you should give generously.” I remember how enthusiastically they responded when I passionately drove home my points about “how much better it is to give than to receive!” They cheered loudly when I proclaimed passionately, “You must give generously because God loves a cheerful giver!” There were so many “amens” and “hallelujahs” that I concluded I must be giving the best message I’d ever delivered. After I was finished with my message the pastor announced that we were all to go to the church basement for the Christmas party. He then asked us to wait until everyone else had gone down first and we were to go downstairs last with him. We then walked downstairs and when we entered the room, everyone yelled “Surprise!” And the pastor told us that they had planned a huge Christmas surprise party for me and my family. In the corner of the room was a decorated Christmas tree and all around it were boxes and boxes of presents the church members had gotten for us. We were shocked by all this. The entire church watched and applauded as we opened the mountain of gifts. We were completely  overwhelmed by their outpouring of love and generosity. And when I remembered the message about giving that I had delivered earlier that evening, I was very embarrassed. But, the truth is, that group of people obviously loved giving to a young youth worker and his family. And God has most assuredly blessed them for it. That evening of so many years ago remains to this day, a wonderful memory and powerful personal example of how God pours out the kind of blessing which is “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over!” (Luke 6:38). You see examples in scripture of early Christians sharing this same kind of love with each other.

They gave to those who had need with glad and sincere hearts

“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” (Acts 2:45-46 NIV)

Therefore,,,

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16 ESV)

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Prov. 11:25 ESV)

“Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a hope that is alive. It is alive because Jesus Christ rose from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

He is rich in mercy

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph. 2:4-5 NIV)

The Lord longs to be gracious to you

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isa. 30:18 NiV)

Therefore…

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Rom. 12:1 NIV)

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NIV)

“And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.” (Mark 4:17 ESV)

Shallow roots are dangerous

Recently we had a severe storm bringing wind blasts up to 80 miles an hour and higher. It did a lot of damage throughout our community blowing down many fences and trees. Afterwards, as I drove around surveying the damage, I saw many large trees which had toppled over and their bare roots now exposed. I noticed that the trees which did not survive the storm all had something in common. Their roots had been shallow. They had not grown deep enough to hold them in place against the strong winds that came against them. The Bible passage at top says it’s similar with us. We need strong roots within ourselves, too, to help us to remain standing “when tribulation or persecution arises…”

Be rooted and grounded in love

“That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:16-19 ESV)

Be rooted and built up in Him

“Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” (Psalm 82:12 ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:6-8)

“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor.  12:7-10 NASB)

What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh?

The above passage doesn’t say what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. But that doesn’t stop the speculation of many. I’ve heard lots of sermons over the years where Paul’s thorn in the flesh was described by the speaker to be some physical ailment such as stammering speech, arthritis, malaria, bad eyesight or some other physical illness or malignity. But, guessing or making assumptions is not the way to interpret Scripture, ever! Guessing and assuming things without actual Biblical corroboration leads to errors and ultimately, to bad theology. One of the first principles of sound biblical interpretation is that the scripture is its own interpreter. In other words, the Bible is not subject to our private interpretations. Before we can assign a meaning to any passage, we must search both the context of the passage in question, as well as the whole Bible itself, to see how the word is used throughout the whole of scripture. Therefore, to know what a “thorn in the flesh” is, we must look at every place in the Bible that talks about “a thorn in the flesh”. Both the Old and the New Testament have “thorn in the flesh”examples. The "thorn" in scripture is a common word that is frequently used very figuratively, as the Apostle Paul was using it in 1 Cor. 12:1-10. And Paul was very familiar with the Old Testament scriptures, so he surely used this term in the same way that it is used throughout scripture. Of course, God is the true author of these scriptures, and so we would expect there to be harmony and consistency in the use of the word in similar situations. In Numbers 33:55; Ezekiel 28:24 we read of enemies who are “thorns” in Israel's side, a constant harassment to Israel as the agent of the Lord's redemptive judgments (compare Joshua 23:13; Hosea 2:6). Throughout the Bible, “thorns in the flesh” are defined as persecutions. In the passage at top, Paul even mentions persecutions and physical illness is not on the list. Also, the Holman Bible Dictionary says, “Therefore, in 2 Corinthians 12:7, ‘thorn in the flesh’ refers more to the enemy, the ‘messenger of Satan,’ than to any specific physical ailment.” I agree with Holman, after looking at all the Bible references as well as the context, Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” is about persecution. And Paul certainly had lots of it. And, throughout Scripture, we are told that we as God’s people will be persecuted. But, God assured Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” And it is!

Indeed, you will be persecuted

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:12 NASB)

Therefore…

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:10 ESV)

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV)

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matt. 5:44 ESV)