ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 17, 2012)

By Grace: A Sure Foundation
Isaiah 28:16-19;
Ephesians 2:20

So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 
'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.'"
(Isaiah 28:16)
When I came to Christ over 40 years ago, my trust in Him was relatively weak. But as I have come to know Him better, my trust in Jesus and His Word has strengthened. Besides growing spiritually, I have grown emotionally and intellectually. Some in the evangelical church might react negatively to my claim of "intellectual" growth, saying, "I have Jesus in my heart, not just in my head." But to get to one's heart, trust in Christ must first pass through the mind. Christ's "sure foundation" is laid there.
And this verse is about Christ. He is the stone whom "the builders rejected" (Matthew 21:42). He is the cornerstone from Judah (Zechariah 10:4). He is the spiritual "rock" in the desert from which water poured (1 Corinthians 10:4). He is the "rock" on which the wise man built his house (Luke 6:48) and the "rock" of Peter's confession (Matthew 16:18). He is the earth's foundation - its "cornerstone" (Job 38:6). The Scriptures prove overwhelmingly to the mind that Jesus is the "sure foundation."
INSIGHT
Do I know Jesus loves me because "he lives within my heart?" Or, do I know that "because the Bible tells me so"?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Genesis 25-26
Psalm 13
Matthew 21
Isaiah 28:16-19;
16 So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who trusts will never be dismayed.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the grave will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through."
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
Ephesians 2:20
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.