The Foundation Of God Standeth Sure!
99th Assembly Message
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. 2 Timothy 2:19a
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22
Foundation – the act of founding, a basis (as a tenet, principle, or axiom) upon which something is built, stands or is supported.
In a physical structure, such as a large building, the foundation is the most important part of that structure. The foundation is the part upon which every other part depends and its gravity rest upon. Without a good foundation, the walls will crack, the roof will leak and soon the cracks will be so big it will not be feasible to fix the building. It makes absolutely no sense to build on a weak and shaky foundation. I watched one day as a foundation was poured in sand for a very expensive house and it was only about 8 inches deep; just picture those walls in a few years with cracks and separation which will ruin the house. Then I watched in my hometown as an old building, which had served our community for almost 100 years, was torn down and the heavy equipment could barely break it up. The reason was that it had been built well upon a very firm and solid foundation. It had weathered many storms, stood the test and although the owners had no more time or interest in it, the structure stood proud and erect. It was rock solid just like the Church which Jesus is building today.
The foundation of the Church is solid and it has a tried and precious stone for its corner stone, His name is Jesus Christ. (He is the one the builders rejected.)
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 28:16
For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11
You can’t lay a greater foundation than this. I am reminded of a man that was allowed some freedom from the mental institution which had become his home. One day he was observed with a very large sledgehammer in his hand which causes some concern for the observer. Others were called to watch this man with the hammer and soon it was apparent what he was going to do, as he struck the corner of the building again and again.
The administrator asked, “Tony, just what do you think you are doing?” Tony quickly replied, “Oh, I know what I’m doing alright, I’m going to tear out this corner of the building.” Then the administrator figured, well I’ve got him now so he replied, “Tony you are harming the building that you live in and you could cause it to fall.” Tony’s reply was quick, “It’s okay, I live on the second floor.”
Too many have forgotten the foundation of The Church of God and are harming the very principles and its chief corner stone, Jesus Christ, upon which She is built. He has purchased it with His own blood as payment. Christ is the draftsman, the architect, the chief engineer, the lending institution and the master builder on this project we call the Church. Recently I read a message by the leader of one of the denominations calling themselves the Church and it was an excellent message of biblical truth but there is one problem with it, the leader will not embrace this TRUTH himself. It appears on the surface that this organization is strong and on solid footing but it will crumble to the ground eventually because the foundation has been forsaken for a plan written by man. When the LOVE, the TRUTH and other biblical principles are abandoned what you have left is a mere denomination regardless of what it is called. It is unfortunate but this is where the crowds go looking for someone to tell them what to believe instead of searching it out with tears for themselves. Today people still want a Moses like figure to follow while they call it theocracy and depend on man to direct them while they forget NEW TESTAMENT ORDER where it says, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to Us,…” Many are building vast organizations using spiritual abuse and calling it theocracy and while there is no LOVE in these organizations “PERFECTION” is their theme song. If only their people would read the Bible they would learn for themselves that something is missing in the mud with which these walls are being built. Leave the cement out and all you have left is sand and sand alone will not stick for very long and the walls will fall down flat. There are some walls that will soon fall and great will be the fall of them as God reveals what they have been built with. The Holy Ghost is attempting to call some attention to the atrocities of such building but the common answer is, “What do we need to repent of?” Recently, I watched as a man attempted to correct some things which were as wrong as SIN in an organization only to be ridiculed and shamed into an act of repentance for doing what was right in the first place. This all took place at the hand of man and he was made to say I’m sorry for doing the right thing after threats were made against him. When will this spiritual abuse stop? It is all done in the name of theocracy which in many of the denominations means you crossed some man’s wires and did not allow him his position as Pope. This is to be expected in denominations but not in God’s Church. His Church will not be run by one man rule but under the direction of the Holy Ghost with everyone leaving feeling good and ready to respond to the direction that God has given.
The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. All ye assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me. Isaiah 48:16-1
The winds will blow and the storms will come and beat upon The Church of God and people will hate us for the stand we take but nothing will stop the TRUTH. In recent years we have seen family, friends and fellow ministers turn against one another and in the heat of the battle become arch enemies but the only real enemy we have is the Devil. He is the arch deceiver and disputer of that which is right and good. Some say, “Oh look at how God is blessing the people down the street, they speak in tongues and shout and they are having to expand their building to house them and they must be good people because they are growing.” When Jesus told the people the TRUTH the crowds quickly disbursed and He said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter said, “To whom shall we go, thou hast the words of eternal life.”The Church will stand the attacks, Her walls are solid so long as we do not let man build on something less than that firm foundation based on the WORD without compromise. We are to stand without compromise while extending an arm of LOVE to the sinners just as Christ did.
Restoration is possible upon a good foundation.
When the hurricanes or tornados destroy a building often the same foundation is used to replace it because it remains unharmed. If the foundation was laid correctly for the first building then the second can be built back without a new foundation. We do not need a new foundation for The Church of God because the first can not be improved upon. It remains sure and the Lord knows them that are His. There is nothing to fear if we will continue to build on this foundation that is laid in the Holy Scriptures with Christ as the corner and His doctrine upon which the whole thing rest. Sometimes it has looked as if the whole structure of His Church has been destroyed but as we begin to dust away the ruins we find that same foundation underneath the debris and ashes of deception. Satan didn’t just start trying to destroy the Church over which Christ is the Chief Shepherd, the Head, the cornerstone, the overseer and groom. This all started just as soon as He organized it and has never let up. The TRUTH will never depend on the flesh to preserve it and it will never change for the convenience of man. Just because our family members want to marry into adultery doesn’t mean God will rewrite the rule book but we must go back to the foundation and start up again regardless of what others think. The Church has not been destroyed because of these SINS but the TRUE foundation must be found before we can rebuild. It is where it has been all the time in the precious Word of God. That is what makes it The Church of God, just as it did June 13, 1903.
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselvestogether, and come to thee. As Ilive, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob. Isaiah 49:13-26
New methods and tricks not needed—just find the old foundation and begin to build upon it!
We don’t need new methods and tricks to get people into the Church. What we do need is old time Holy Ghost Fire that will chase the devils out and transform a few old hard sinners into men and women of God and that will cause the results we need as we continue to build on the solid foundation. The “OLD PATHS” are proven and we know they work if we will stick with them. We don’t need a new flag, all we need to do is stand by what the old one stood for. We don’t need a new leader for the Church, all we need to do is listen to the one in charge since the foundation of the world. Time after time the Holy Ghost has called the Church to repentance but arrogance and exception has kept us from falling on our faces in true repentance as we look around and say, “WHAT COULD WE POSSIBLY HAVE DONE TO REPENT OF?” The Bible still declares that He will heal our land if we will.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
The Church will be built His way not man’s way.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephesians 2:10-22
It was God who put us in the building (Church) not the minister who administered the covenant. He only said words and we agreed to them then it was God who made us part of the body.
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.1Corinthians 12:18
Who did this? God did and who can pluck you from the hand of God?
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19:6b
Unity brings great strength.
Christ prayed for unity in John chapter 17. It is impossible to have unity without divine revelation, which can only come from God. If you receive it from God man will have a hard time taking it away from you. Paul advised us not to believe it because he said it but because it is right and is from God. Listen to his words.
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ Galatians 1: 6-12
If you have divine revelation, you didn’t get it from man! Don’t let any man deceive you, walk in that which God has given you. The Bible makes it the Church not some decree, document or charter of incorporation. We must cling to nothing but the blessed old book—the Bible as our only guide. It is the only way to keep it The Church of God and if we follow it we will have LOVE, UNITY and fellowship one with another. The Bible makes it The Church of God – nothing more and nothing less. Unity is the greatest need the Church has today because for the lack of it the Church has once again been scattered to the four winds of deception. Satan is waging war upon the Church and He knows what will happen once we have unity again. Without unity the walls crack and crumble and even fall to the ground but “THE FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDETH SURE” and for a short time it may seem that all is lost but not so, He will build His church on the same foundation. Someone said, “WHEN THE FOUNDATIONS CRUMBLE – THE RIGHTEOUS REPORT FOR DUTY.” I would like to say the foundation standeth sure and has not crumbled we just need the “RIGHTEOUS TO REPORT FOR DUTY!” We need to come back together if we believe in this foundation and have not broken our covenant relationship with God. Christ is the head of His Church and He will not fail us.
Unity of believers is strength —division is weakness and leads to disaster.
The Holy Ghost is calling us back together and man is attempting to make the gap larger and larger as personal agendas are promoted and visions of perfection are preached which leave hundreds who love God and have not broken their covenant by the wayside because man has decided they are not fit. Perfection will never be reached by any organization who leaves a blatting lamb behind that wants to stay with the fold. That is not perfection that is religious slaughter of the saints of God through religious abuse. The Bible pronounces a WOE to the shepherds who scatter the flock. Let’s come together and give Him the place He deserves in the Church as the Head again.
THE FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDETH SURE!