he Mentality of a Living Stone

This lesson is titled “Mentality of A Living Stone”, and from Peter’s first letter where he wrote, “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Peter 2:5). Given our recent focus on the church I’d like to continue on with that theme specifically addressing our individual roles as members of the Lord’s body. In this particular text from Romans 1 Paul lays out a pattern that starts with the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Romans is said to be the most significant and comprehensive of the apostles’ writings explaining the message of the gospel and it’s practical application in our lives individually and as members of the local body. The apostle Paul being our example he certainly has credentials. He is after all, the apostle to the gentiles, he established multiple churches and is responsible for penning nearly half of the New Testament.

I’d like to lay out three principles, or mindsets we ought to have if we are going to contribute to the growth of the church.
One – Paul Referred to Himself as a Bondservant – Romans 1:1. We are exclusively His!
Two – Love for One Another, the Church and Every Soul – Romans 1:8-14 The love of God compels us (2 Cor. 5:14)!
Three – The Gospel: Learn it, Live it, Preach it – Romans 1:16-17. We preach Christ, and if we preach Christ then we are living Christ, and we are impacting our world.

Please listen on and hear the explanation for each one of these points, and may God be glorified in this message and in you.

Our lesson tonight comes from two scriptures, one Isaiah 53 and the second from Psalm 139. These speak of two concerns in the life of a Christian. They are what it is to know God and to be known by God. We start with knowing God. Isaiah 53 is a prevalent passage as it relates to that because it introduces us to the message of the gospel. And if we understand, by no means do we ever have any hope of ever knowing God apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can’t know God if He never revealed himself and He reveals Himself exclusively through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53 speaks of the gospel, anyone who has ever heard that passage or knows anything about the scriptures, they understand that this pointing to the Messiah and all the things He did for us. 

When we really know God through the scriptures, we will turn to Him, we will repent the right way. Repentance is turning your heart, and bending your heart and your will towards the will of God according to this (bible). When we know His we will obey the simple gospel which says, believe the gospel, believe that you belong to Him and give your heart and your mind and your body and your soul and everything that you have to Him before you perish, before you enter that outer darkness where it will be eternally too late.

From Isaiah 53 in this lesson we will be looking at three things concerning Jesus the Son of God. 1) Power, 2) Grief and 3) Mercy. I hope you will appreciate this study as I have…