Solid Food & Foundation

A life built on Christ has a solid foundation and a crown into which you grow.

“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king...Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel...The men of Israel took captive...two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters...a prophet of the LORD named Oded...said to them, “Because the LORD, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves...Now listen to me! Send back your fellow Israelites you have taken as prisoners...The men designated by name took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys...In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and set up altars at every street corner...and aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of his ancestors.”‭‭ 2 Chronicles‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬-‭2‬5

Have you ever openly rebelled against God or against what you knew was good? In our country, it is often the teenagers or younger people who are known as rebels, but rebellion is far from limited by age. Ahaz was a rebel. Consider him an ancient James Dean, who also died young. A rebel without a cause. He disregarded all that he had been taught about God and did whatever he wanted. Spoiler alert: this did not end well.

Does sin ever end well? Is it ever wise to rebel against what is right? Do we not only harm ourselves when we do not listen to God? You have to wonder why we do it. Often, it is because we might enjoy it, find pleasure in it, or simply want things our way. The hard reality, though, is that there will come a time when the consequence catches up to the crime. Ahaz did as he pleased, disregarding the wisdom of his parents and the past leaders, and he paid the price for his foolishness. He died at 36 and left his people in a far worse place. He destroyed his life and the temple of God. Ahaz never turned. He kept ignoring God's call to come back. In the end, he perished.

The truth is, Ahaz was not alone in his sin. Sin is evident in the world around us and inside the body of Christ. All fall short of the glory of God. All have times of rebellion. The difference is that the disciple of Jesus learns to hear His voice, the voice of truth, and turn from rebellion toward righteousness. Are you actively rebelling at the current moment? Is there anything you know is right but are ignoring like Ahaz?

‭“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭95‬:‭1‬-‭11

Come. Three times in this passage, we hear the call to come. This was one of the most common calls of Christ and is the invitation before us each day. Come to God. Pursue a living relationship with Him. What a contrast to Ahaz, who continually moved away from God. He actively rebelled against God and eventually shut the doors that would allow others to go to the temple. We see that in life we have a choice. Run to God or run from Him.

God calls us to come. Come sing. Come with thanksgiving. Come bow down. Come listen to His voice. Come find your footing. He is the Rock of our salvation. Christ is the foundation of our lives. He is our Shepherd, and we are the people under His care. There is something beautiful about that word care. The Bible is a collection of stories that show how God cares for us. We were made to live under the care of our Shepherd. We were made to build our lives upon Christ alone. Anything apart from Christ will eventually crumble, but a life built upon Jesus has a foundation that cannot be shaken. How is your footing? How are you feeling?

“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools...patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit...Consider what God has done. Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself? Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.” Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

Consider what God has done. Consider your life. Consider how quickly your days pass and that there is an expiration date. Solomon said there is wisdom in remembering that one day our lives will end. Ahaz lived as though none of that mattered, but the day of death found him like it does all people. Remembering that truth should not produce fear, but it should remind us to stand in awe today, knowing that we will stand before Him on that day.

The heart of the fool is built on pleasure. Ahaz chose to party rather than pursue God. What a fool he was, and what fools we can be if we choose the earthly over the eternal. There is no one on earth who always does what is right and never sins. That truth should keep us humble and reverent. It should make us thankful that we have the foundation of Jesus and have had our debts paid. Whether we are rebellious or self-righteous, we all need Jesus.

Solomon is reminding us to fear God, for the day of judgment comes to all. Ask yourself what your legacy will be when you leave this planet. What life are you building? How would you describe your name? Is it more like Ahaz or Abraham? The fool or the faithful one? The one who fears the Lord avoids all extremes. Knowing that we will have times when we may be like each reminds us of our daily need for Jesus.

“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief...Testing will surely come... this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive...It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.” Ezekiel 21:1-32

Do any of us love taking tests? Tests are revealers. They are neither good nor bad. They simply tell the story of what is true. The testing of the Lord is the same. Testing will come to reveal what you have built your life upon. Ezekiel reminds us that sin matters and judgment is real. We cannot live as though we will never stand before God.

There is a sword of judgment, and apart from Jesus, none of us could stand before a holy God. That reality should not drive us away from God; it should drive us toward the Savior. We need the Rock of our salvation. We need the Shepherd who cares for us. We need Jesus. In the middle of this difficult passage is hope. The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come. There is a rightful King, and He is the One who saves.

Jesus says to come to Him, all who are weary and need rest. Come to Him if you have been rebellious or doing wrong. Our Shepherd invites us to come home. Ahaz refused to listen. He refused to turn, and the day of judgment came. Judgment is real, but so is grace. The Righteous King came for us and rose again so that we could receive the crown once again.

“I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Paul tells the believers to grow up. He said they know Jesus, but they are still living like everyone around them. Jealousy, quarreling, and division should never be active among people centered in Christ. Solomon said a good name is better than perfume. Do people see Christ in you? Do they smell the aroma of grace and love? Paul is calling out people who have said they have received Christ but whose hearts are rebelling against the call to be patient, graceful, and loving at all times. How does this relate to you? Is there anyone in your heart whom you have not forgiven or do not fully love like Jesus? Do you have any jealousy or envy? Paul says it is time to stop rebelling and start remembering what it means to follow Jesus.

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belongs to the children. He did not say the childish. When we are born again, we naturally drink infant's milk, but we are not supposed to stay there. We are meant to mature and grow in our faith. Fortunately, God is the One who does the work within us if we will come to Him. How have you been growing? How do you want God to help you in your growth?

Paul said you cannot build without a solid foundation. Jesus, the Rock of our salvation in Psalm 95, is the foundation. Jesus wants us to build a life that lasts beyond ourselves. He wants us to bring the kingdom. Paul said what you build will be tested by fire. Often, this comes when we experience pressure or pain. Those two are revealers that help us see what really matters. The Bible tells us that the one thing that lasts is love. Paul said to build a life of care. A life attentive to God and to others. The measure of our lives will be how we learn to care like Christ.

How will you respond to the call to come? Will you take time to consider what God has done and live with awareness that there is a day of judgment? For those in Christ, this day will be a day to sing with joy the song of salvation. God does not want you to wait until the end of your life to come and receive the crown He has for you. He wants to empower your life today and let the fire of the Holy Spirit fill your heart. Look up and see that there is already a crown above your head that will fit perfectly as you grow into it.