Three Stones

hey everyone God bless you thanks a lot for tuning in I have a reflection for you for your edification I'm entitling three stones Three Stones you'll understand that title in a second anyway if you an Orthodox Christian believer I wish you a very very wonderful conclusion to Holy Week and a most radiant holy PCA this reflection that I have today is uh a second kind of building on my last reflection which I delivered a few days ago I hope you were able to see it a reflection on Israel and the church in that reflection I spoke about those texts those sermons that Jesus gave prior to his crucifixion just prior to his crucifixion which are so important to understand the nature of the crucifixion and the the grief that filled our savior's heart as he saw his own people not believe in him or accept him as their Messiah and their Christ a large number of them for this he asked the women of Jerusalem to weep for the miseries and judgments that would come upon the holy city because of their unfaithfulness to God and their hard-heartedness Jesus spoke about the Cornerstone he attempted Ed to help uh the Jewish leaders come to Faith uh by sharing scriptures from the Old Testament he said who son is the Messiah and they said the son of David and then he said yes but if that's the case why does David call him Lord and then he quotes from the scriptures and says the Lord said to my Lord sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies a foot stol for thy feet he was helping them come to believe and then because they didn't he spoke those fearful words about uh what happens to those who reject the Cornerstone of the people of God the Cornerstone being himself that they would be crushed in fact by the stone of judgment Holy Week focuses on uh this sad rejection we read that very text from Matthew 21 on holy Monday the stone which the build is rejected the same is become the Cornerstone this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes therefore I say to you the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it the Cornerstone of course is the the most important Stone in the structure the building itself it is that stone upon which the rest of the building has its orientation and places its great weight no other Foundation can support it support the building except that unique Cornerstone which supports the whole weight of the building in fact that is exactly who Christ is he upholds the people of God listen to this this is a text from the Wednesday of the sixth week of Lent just leading up to Lazarus Saturday in Palm Sunday from the end of orthos and this is what it says Israel was clothed with royal purple and fine linen shining with sacred and kingly robes being rich in the law and the prophets it made Mary in the rights of worship under the law but when thou beest poor it crucified thee without the gates oh benefactor and after rejecting thee living again even after thy crucifixion who art ever in the bosom of God the Father it thirsteth for a drop of Grace like the rich man who had no compassion towards Lazarus the poor man Israel instead of purple and fine linen is clothed in unquenchable Fire and it is smitten with pain on beholding the people of the Nations which before was needy of crumbs of Truth Now warmed in the bosom of Abraham's faith and wearing the Royal Purple of thy blood and the fine linen of baptism and prospering in plenty and reveling in many Graces and crying out oh Christ Our God glory be to thee what a incredible text so frightful for the unbelieving Jewish leaders and those who followed their lead in crucifying Christ and refusing to accept him as their Messiah and how incredible for the Gentiles who have accepted by faith Christ as their lord and King Jesus is the Cornerstone he's the Cornerstone of the church and of every right believer this is the first and most important Stone of the three stones of the New Testament no other Cornerstone can be laid not this man or that man not Martin Luther not John Calvin not Joseph Smith not Charles taas Russell not Ellen White no other Cornerstone except Christ and secondly there is the foundation of the building the Cornerstone is the most precious portion of the foundation and then there are the foundation stones and in the foundation stones in in the New Testament are particularly described as the Holy Apostles let me read to you from St Paul's epistle to the Ephesians where you'll see this U affirmation with regards to the second important type of stone that you mention that is mentioned uh that we need to see in the New Testament this is Ephesians 2:19 and following so then you are no longer strangers and Aliens like we were before Christ came we Gentiles but you are fellow citizens with the Saints and are of God's household having been built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Jesus himself being the Cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy Temple in the Lord in whom you also are built together into a dwelling of God in the spirit so there you have the beautiful perspective of the Apostle Paul on the church the Cornerstone is Christ the foundation stones are the Holy Apostles and it has been in the process of being erected into a magnificent dwelling of God in his spirit for the last 2,000 years this is the second of those stones is Christ the Cornerstone of your faith is your faith built upon the apostles and the apostles only this means it's there's a very easy way to know this if you believe what Christians have believed and have taught in all generations then you're built upon the apostles but if you're particular Faith what you think is so important to say is something that only began to be said in 500 or 1,00 or 1500 or 1959 whatever you're in As Good As it might be is inadequate and is something less than the Church of Christ it isn't Apostolic there is one Holy Catholic and Apostolic church and that church has been teaching the gospel and preaching the Christian faith for 2,000 years to be built on the foundation stones of the Apostles means that you believe what they believed you keep and pass on what has been kept and pass on which means you should be able to identify your faith in every generation prove it to yourself and if you can't join then if you can't prove it if you can't find your faith before the mid 19th century or before they been early 20th century or before the 16th century swallow and accept that it is not the apostolic faith significant portions of it may be the apostolic faith maybe even large large portions but that's not good enough build your life on the apostolic faith thirdly the Third Kind of stone are the living stones are the Living Stones let me read to you from the first Epistle of St Peter chapter 2 veres 4 and following and coming to him as to a living Stone which has been rejected by men but is choice and precious in the sight of God you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ for this is contained in the scriptures behold I lay in Zion a choice Stone a precious Cornerstone and he who believes in him will not be disappointed indeed no one who believes in Christ the Cornerstone is ever disappointed by Christ he is the one who fulfills every expectation as St Paul says he does more than we can even ask for more than we can even believe possible that's our savior that's the Lord and because he is life when we are attached to him when we're incorporated into his life in the church we become living stones that marvelous Temple which is the church has been in the process of being built for a very long time thousands of years so many innumerable living stones have been added to the church why not add yourself if you're not added and if you are cherish your position as a living Stone in the church these are the three stones dear ones of the New Testament the Cornerstone who is Christ the foundation Stones who are the apostles and the Living Stones who are believers who have embraced the apostolic faith and have been incorporated into the Life of Christ in holy baptism and take up their position in the church as a living stone is your life completely rooted in Christ and only explainable by the fact that he is your Cornerstone is that the case can your life only be explained by the fact that you're resting all of your weight upon the Cornerstone who is Christ try to live a life to make a life that is unexplainable except for Christ's Central position in your life are you living the Christian faith that the apostles taught and can be clearly identified in all generations in all portions of Christian history and have you become a living Stone have you taken up your position in your Parish are you holding your weight the weight of the building everybody has shoulders given to them by the Holy Spirit to Bear the weight of their own ministry as a living Stone have you taken up your place a place which only you have been fashioned to fill I hope so and you can rejoice in these three precious stones to the glory of God Amen [Music] oh

Channel: PatristicNectarFilms

Views: 16,847

Keywords: Patristic Nectar Publications, Patristic Nectar, Fr Josiah Trenham, Josiah Trenham, Orthodox, Orthodox Christian, Orthodox church

Id: 9JTTAyKPFys

Length: 12min 1sec (721 seconds)

Published: Fri May 03 2024