Luke 20:18 KJV
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
I saw this passage from two points of view this morning.
First from the negative, when one stumbles upon Christ; when a person hears the Gospel message but rejects it, there is no hope of salvation for him. Only through Christ are we able to be whole, healed and saved. Only through Christ are we able to claim a home in eternal heaven. When a person trips over Christ, he is surely lost.
But it is worse than that because once one has fallen on the Stone, then the Stone falls upon him. The devastation of being lost is worse than not going to heaven; it is ultimately going to hell where a soul suffers in the fire and brimstone eternally. The wrath of God is poured upon the lost, not for a moment or even for a day, but forever.
On the other hand, there is a positive way to view this verse. When one comes to the stone, Jesus Christ and falls before him in confession and contrition
He is broken in the flesh,
He dies to self, but
He is born again through the Spirit of God.
O what sweetness is being broken before the Lord Jesus Christ! Through this braking comes our salvation from sin, our birth into the family of God and our assurance of a home in eternal heaven.
But it is better than this because when once we fall before the Stone, then the Stone falls upon us. Through the rest of our lives on this planet, Jesus Christ continues to grind and crush to powder the vestiges of flesh that is worldly-wise and wicked. He sanctifies us and cleanses us. He convicts us of our sin. He chastens us and corrects us so that one day He may present us before the Father without spot or blemish.
It is up to us, which application will be ours.
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
I saw this passage from two points of view this morning.
First from the negative, when one stumbles upon Christ; when a person hears the Gospel message but rejects it, there is no hope of salvation for him. Only through Christ are we able to be whole, healed and saved. Only through Christ are we able to claim a home in eternal heaven. When a person trips over Christ, he is surely lost.
But it is worse than that because once one has fallen on the Stone, then the Stone falls upon him. The devastation of being lost is worse than not going to heaven; it is ultimately going to hell where a soul suffers in the fire and brimstone eternally. The wrath of God is poured upon the lost, not for a moment or even for a day, but forever.
On the other hand, there is a positive way to view this verse. When one comes to the stone, Jesus Christ and falls before him in confession and contrition
He is broken in the flesh,
He dies to self, but
He is born again through the Spirit of God.
O what sweetness is being broken before the Lord Jesus Christ! Through this braking comes our salvation from sin, our birth into the family of God and our assurance of a home in eternal heaven.
But it is better than this because when once we fall before the Stone, then the Stone falls upon us. Through the rest of our lives on this planet, Jesus Christ continues to grind and crush to powder the vestiges of flesh that is worldly-wise and wicked. He sanctifies us and cleanses us. He convicts us of our sin. He chastens us and corrects us so that one day He may present us before the Father without spot or blemish.
It is up to us, which application will be ours.
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