A Sure Foundation

Isaiah 28:14–22 ESV

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem! 15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”; 16 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: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ 17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.” 18 Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. 19 As often as it passes through it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message. 20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in. 21 For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work! 22 Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.

Introduction

Chapter 28 sits among a series of prophecies to the nations. In these prophecies, God gave Judah the confidence to trust in Him. The other nations would ultimately fail to preserve themselves and others, so why trust in them? Israel (North) and Judah (South) received prophetic messages concerning their wandering ways and choices. All choices bring particular consequences established by God. We have the freedom to make our decisions, but God reserves the right to pre-determine the consequences. He consistently reminds us that He wants to direct us toward life as He has created it. For those who choose to build their lives upon His foundation, they will receive the blessings of a covenant relationship. As believers in Christ, we receive the opportunity to know God and follow Him through Jesus Christ.

Context

Although our study focuses on verses 14-22, we should observe the context of this message. By pointing to Ephraim's tragic example, Isaiah attempts to warn Judah of their pride and self-reliant living. Ephraim lived like proud drunkards. They were proud because they lived an independent life apart from God. And like a drunk person, they were no longer aware of their actions or surroundings. They could not see the soon coming consequences of destruction. In 722 BC, God allowed Assyria to invade Israel. Assyria conquered the city and scattered the people to various locations within the Assyrian Empire. It is a shame for people to know the truth, be warned of the consequences of their choices, and still fail to make the choices that lead to life. This was also the situation for Judah. Would they open up their ears and eyes to see the truth?

A Sure Foundation

God, in His mercy, sent messages through Isaiah. He reminded them that He alone has the plan that leads to life. He compared it to a foundation and a cornerstone, which are solid and secure to build upon. Whoever will choose to entrust themselves to God need not panic when life's challenges arise to test what they have built. Sinful destruction will never overcome those who believe.

In verse 17, God portrays himself as a Master Architect, Builder, and Inspector. He alone has the plans and tools to ensure that walls are built straight and that the building is able to withstand the soon coming harsh weather. He warns those who reject Him that their buildings will not be able to endure the stormy waters and hail of judgment. Those who reject God's building plan will find that their plans are complete failures. Any alliances and plans apart from God will end in destruction.

A Simple Truth

How many of you have wanted to shout at a character in a movie or story who continually makes their way toward a dangerous location or somehow involves themselves with destructive people. We wish they would make a different choice that would benefit them rather than moving closer and closer to a tragic ending. But they can’t hear us. In the same way, Isaiah's message seemed to fall on deaf ears. The Southern Kingdom of Judah eventually eroded into becoming a people that rejected God. As modern readers, we may be critical of their apparent foolishness because this could have been avoided. But do we recognize that we may be more like them than we care to admit?

Because of sinful tendencies and desires, people will often challenge God's truth and consequences. We know of the sinful failures of past generations and even the people around us. We wish that they would have chosen differently. But we are disillusioned if we think we can make the same sinful choices and get different results. We are accustomed to our world, where we can often find a second option for our consequences. If we receive a verdict from a judge, we know we might be able to appeal it and get things changed if we have a good lawyer. If we receive a doctor's diagnosis, we know we can see another doctor to get a second opinion. If we are in trouble, we may look for a loophole to find another way out. While this may work for some things in life, it is not true for the choices and consequences for building your life upon Christ. There are no other valid alternatives to following God. And we are acting much like the people of Isaiah's prophecy if we think we can somehow escape the consequences of rejecting God. We, too, can become proud and drunk scoffers. May we realize that we can not make some special arrangements other than turning to God, repenting, and trusting in Him.

Fulfilled in Jesus Christ

Isaiah's words are timeless. In Acts 4:5-12, we hear the Apostle Peter quote this very chapter when he spoke to Jerusalem's people over 700 years after Isaiah.

Acts 4:5–12 ESV

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter spoke these words by the power of the Holy Spirit. He boldly claimed that Jesus Christ is the fulfilled promise of the foundation and cornerstone that Isaiah proclaimed. Peter declared that they must receive God's plan through Jesus Christ. Any other option or path would not lead to God's life. Some people gladly received the truth, and others grew increasingly angry and oppositional.

The Challenge of a Second Option

An old disturbing old American saying goes, "There's more than one way to skin a cat". It implies that there are many ways to achieve the same goal. In our modern world, we typically want multiple options to achieve the same goal. Just ask a husband and wife about the proper way to drive, and you will see two different views. While this may work for some things in the world, it does not apply to the choices and consequences God has determined for us. So how do we respond to the increasing temptation to seek another version or another option when it comes to spiritual truth?

Peter states that salvation is possible, but there is only one option. It is Jesus Christ. Consider the setting in which Peter spoke these words. He told it to those who understood that they needed to follow the God of their forefathers. They had to follow the One True God of Israel for salvation. Peter told these people that Jesus was the only means of salvation. Jesus fulfilled the Cornerstone description that Isaiah once declared for their forefathers. Peter boldly stated that they needed to change their view of Jesus, whom they crucified but God raised from the dead. They needed to stop rejecting Him as their forefathers rejected God in Jerusalem many years before in Isaiah’s day. The covenant people of Israel needed to see Christ as the promised plan of God. There was no other option.

Now, how important is it that Christians hold to this statement? Is it optional? I would hope that believers in Christ would take Peter's words seriously. All Christians should be clear that we have no other option than to say that salvation is found only in Jesus. However, culture is not inclined to accept this. For the early Christians, Rome did not like them because Christians refused to open themselves to Rome's spiritual options. They refused to offer any amount of incense or sacrifice to Rome's gods or the Emperor. They were deemed unpatriotic. Other people of the empire had no problem incorporating the gods of Rome with their faith. Rome was very inclusive. And all one had to do was simply add a small amount of Roman gods to your existing religion, and Rome was happy. But the early church would not give in, and they suffered for it. They refused to call the Emperor a "god." They resisted and boldly declared that Jesus is Lord!

Modern culture is much like ancient Rome. It can be unpopular to claim that we have exclusive truth concerning spiritual things. Some may reason that Christians are narrow-minded and antagonistic to hold to such a stance to declare that Jesus is the only way and the Bible is God's Holy Word. Some may insist that our disagreement is the source of so much war, conflict, and fighting. While it may be true that religious disagreements can be at the center of some tragic disputes, there are plenty of other reasons for wars. And so we find that we may offend people because we claim that there is such a thing as spiritual truth and not multiple variations of "truths". On the other hand, there are some people who wish to validate the positive role of religions in society. They may attempt to harmonize the world religions. They do so by stating that all religions have the same goal but simply take different paths. The reason, we

Consider a video from Pope Francis from January 2021. While I am not here to bash Catholics, I do wish to evaluate the Roman Catholic Church's teachings and its primary voice, the Pope. Here is the official English translation of the short speech and video he gave on the topic of Human Fraternity.

When we pray to God following Jesus, we come together as brothers and sisters with those who pray according to other cultures, other traditions and other beliefs. We are brothers and sisters who pray.

Fraternity leads us to open ourselves to the Father of all and to see in the other a brother or sister, to share our lives or to support, to love, and to know each other.

The Church values God's action in other religions, without forgetting that for us Christians, the wellspring of human dignity and fraternity, is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We believers must return to our sources and concentrate on what is essential. What is essential to our faith is the adoration of God and love of neighbor.

Let us pray that the Lord may give us the grace to live in full fellowship with our brothers and sisters of other religions and not fight each other, and praying for one another, open ourselves to all.

At the service of Human Fraternity - The Pope Video 1 January 2021 - https://thepopevideo.org/at-the-service-of-human-fraternity/

How do you understand the words of the Pope? Here are some of my questions and objections:

How is Christian prayer in Jesus Christ a “coming together” with others who do not believe in Christ?

How is God showing “action in other religions” especially those that reject Jesus Christ?

Does loving God and neighbor imply that we can not say that Jesus is the Only Way for all people?

Would the average person understand that they need to depend alone upon Jesus Christ for spiritual truth?

It seems obvious to me that the Pope is opening a door that Peter would have never opened. But the Pope is not the only voice challenging the thought of only one way to God and the consequences associated with our choice to receive or reject Christ. Let’s consider the writings and choices of former pastor Rob Bell who has “been profiled in the New Yorker, toured with Oprah, and in 2011 Time Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Founded a church that grew to 11,000 attendees per Sunday in 2005” www.robbell.com

In 2011, he released a book that questioned the consequences of receiving or rejecting Jesus Christ. While his book did not outright embrace Universalism, he left the question open with the suggestion that we can not be so sure. Universalism is the belief that all will receive the blessings of covenant relationship with God such as salvation, eternal life, etc... regardless of whether you choose to receive or reject Christ. He posed these questions upon his own understanding of God's love. To him it seems that God is so loving that He would never make such terrible consequences like eternal separation and hell for those who reject God. Today, Rob Bell is no longer a pastor but some sort of entertainer, inspiring teacher, and author concerning topics such as awareness:

From his website: SATURDAY SCHOOL is about giving you an entirely new starting point. Not separation, but connection. Not dead, inert objects, but a dynamic reality unfolding right here within each of us. To do this in the coming months, we'll first give you an introduction to awareness, then we'll explore the great paradox of nondual consciousness as it helps us understand how our minds function within us, we'll rethink what a body even is, and then from there we'll see how this shapes our understanding of spirituality, the joys of science, the power of ancient texts, and at some point we'll show you how dreaming when you sleep is one of the best ways to understand what it's like to be awake.

So what are we to make of this one-time mega-church pastor and best-selling author's view of consequences? How does his view of Universalism stand up against Peter's words that state the name of Jesus is the only way God has shown the plan of salvation? How does this line up with Peter's words earlier in Act 3, where he urges people to repent and turn to God? Acts 3:19-21

Acts 3:19–21 ESV

19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

When we ask these questions, it should be clear that these two leaders are wandering into the land of the temptation of the second option of consequences. We ought to be very careful to uphold the Word of God. From the ancient prophets to the arrival of Jesus Christ, God has always called us to One way, to One God, to One plan, to one path that leads to life in Him. All other options will not achieve God's grace and salvation.

More than just hearing but doing

Believing in the exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ is a primary issue for Christians. We must not waver, nor be swayed to think otherwise lest we suffer the same loss of those who rejected Isaiah's words. However, it is not enough to simply agree with the concept of "One Way to God, and all others are not". We must build upon Christ the Foundation. We must follow that path that leads to righteousness. We must trust and obey. Jesus made this very clear in Matthew 7:24-27.

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 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. 26 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. 27 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.”

When we hear the words of Jesus in this parable, we should be able to hear the echoes of Isaiah's words concerning their choices to build life. There is only one foundation and one plan that God has revealed. All other ground is sinking sand. How are you building your life?