Building on the Rock

By Benjamin H. Liles

          You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
          In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy. ~ Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45, New American Standard

          Faith. Without this one thing operating and at work in our lives we can do nothing to please God. Reader, take note - what you read here is about a faith that pleases God enduring to the end, like the forefathers of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. They, and other men who came later, had a perfect faith in God and His activity, it only allowed them to move within the sphere of their faith.

          This faith was the kind that was made purely evident in how they walked, how they witnessed, and how they lived their lives. They were so sure of the God they served they hedged their bets on Him. Abraham was an old man. Likewise so was Sarah. If any couple should not have had a child it was these two. And yet, God rewarded them both according to their faith (see Genesis 15:1-11; 17:1-22; 18:1-12; 21:1-7).

          Let me ask you this: do you or I have anything of value to God, that we should please Him by the power of our hands? I know I don't, and I can't say anything about you on your behalf. Close to the beginning of Genesis we read, "Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering" (Genesis 4:4, New King James). If nothing else mattered, not even having a sacrifice ready, and nothing to offer, would you give up all you had within your means so that God can do a work within you to the extent you are a blessing to others?

          Paul said this: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, New King James).

          If love is the greatest of all attributes, then faith also resides with it. We also read, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6, Berean Study). When we turn to God in faith to do His will in and through us He allows for certain events to define us; to work in our lives, bringing us to perfection in His eyes.

          Jesus said about building a strong faith that faces the greatest test in trouble:"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, New King James). 

          What is the rock in Daniel's vision that smashes all kingdoms and rulers into dust? It is Christ's coming kingdom. It is the kingdom without end. It is one the old prophets claimed would come. Isaiah was the foreteller of Christ's fist coming, but in all the books that comprise the Bible, the rest of it tells of a much more future event: Christ returning in glory to subdue the nations and peoples. Dare we to have the kind of faith to our own end see His glorious return? I do. It is this reason I always boldly proclaim faith in Him. It is why I always have an answer, teaching the way I do. He is my faith. He is my hope. Him I will preach and teach until my breath ceases.

          Father, my hope is in You. From the very word that came from Your mouth until even now, all of this hangs on Your word. Some say You don't exist. I say You do. I put my life on the line as I know Your great name. You extended the same to Your Son, Jesus Christ. I call on that name now. May the heavens recede, may the earth be Your stool, and may our hearts adore You willingly so that You are glorified. I ask You heal our hearts. I know there are some who disbelieve. Again, heal their hearts and hurts. Show them Your greatness so they know You love them. Heal those who are blind so they see Your face. Heal those who are lame so they can dance with joy over the work You have done for them. Heal the land so that food is produced forever. Most of all, may Your kingdom come, Your perfect will always be done. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.