“13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed  this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not [a]prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:13-18). 

Christ and His church is a prevailing theme from the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  In our lesson today we will examine the scriptures to see what this is all about with a goal to make application to our lives as individuals. 

Let us focus on the church–who do we say that He is? For we will be defined as a church by the way we define this. 

We are the church that belongs to God, we know Him, we obey Him.

IN THIS LESSON WE WILL LOOK AT THREE THINGS: (1) The Rock upon which the church is built (2) The Rock upon which the church stands and (3) The Rock which is our Redemption.

THE HEBREW WRITER WROTE, “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME— IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME— TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ ”” (HEBREWS 10:7). 

Luke records Jesus saying, “…that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:24-25). Everything that happen on that day of Christ, was a fulfillment of all of the old testament scriptures that was leading us and telling us of that moment when Christ had given His life, and when He had rose from the dead. 

Who do you say that I am is the infamous question that Jesus poses, not only to His disciples at that time, but for all time. This question is posed to every man, woman and child who has ever graced God’s green earth today. 

 In this lesson we will be examining three aspects of the life of Christ.  First, the life that He lived. Secondly, the death that He died and third, the grace that He offers. 

The Discipline of the Lord. Discipline as defined by the Oxford Language Dictionary is, “training people to obey rules and orders and punishing them if they do not”. From our text in Hebrews twelve and other passages we will be looking at discipline from a biblical perspective, and Lord willing we will be looking at the different ways to properly respond to God’s discipline and produce the results the please Him.  

Paul wrote, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18). This passage gives us the very purpose for which we were created, why we were brought into this world, why God created us and explains His very purpose for us. To be made like His Son. Elihu Contradicts Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). 

Friends, every that exist comes from this God, the sun, the moon, the galaxies, all life comes from this God. He is the origin of everything that exist. “in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), He is the God of all flesh, the God of all creation, and He is deserving of our love. Because He created us for that purpose. 

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…