The ROCK men fall upon being broken to pieces vs those whom it falls upon (ground to powder)

that precious bit of Scripture, always reminded of how Evan Roberts, in the 1904 Welsh revival, would just be in tears, and pleading with God, "Bend us LORD, bend us".

i always used to pray, "break me LORD, break me".....and He sure did, thats a prayer one best be ready for.

i had heard a story regarding the "cornerstone", that when the First Temple was being built, they quarried a cornerstone, that when put in, didnt seem to match, to work, so they pitched it.....but later had to retrive it, because it fit perfectly....

i forget where and when i heard this, but i remembered the onus of it.

i could write more, but i sure would like to pray over those Verses. neil

Hi lylewise,

I think the Holy Spirit can use the words in these verses as He chooses in several ways.

What He said in Matthew 21:44 is actually a crescendo at the end of two very big musical stanzas (parables). It all starts at (maybe before) Matt 21:28.

In context, and historically, this is what the Pharisees thought about what Jesus was saying.

Matt 21:45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that he spake of them. (Yep, they were right and don't you think they were indignant and offended?)

Why did they think this?

Look at the parable just before it, when Jesus spoke of two sons.

One son balked at His Father's command (word), but then repented (he fell on the stone, repentance) and the other that said he would do his father's word, but then did not (lip service).

Which one, Jesus says, did the will of His Father.

Jesus follows with this:

Matt 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Matt 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

He underscores the lack of repentance.

So, here it is clear that Jesus is trying to tell us the importance of repentance.

The next parable He speaks of, He is alluding to all the prophets that He sent and how they were rejected and killed because they were faithful messengers of God.

Matt 21:35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

And then He says, that the Son was sent and they knew He was the Heir, and yet slew Him anyway.

Matt 21:38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
Matt 21:39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

Look at what the Pharisees said in response. They were blind and could not see that Jesus was talking about them.

Matt 21:41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

Then Jesus brings it home with Matthew 21:42-44. This is the crescendo I am talking about.

Matt 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

Here Jesus gets real direct.

Matt 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Matt 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Back then, He was talking about the Pharisees and they knew it all too well. They gave God lip service and rejected His prophets and by doing this rejected HIM, His Word and His Son. Did not Jesus say to SAUL, "Why do you persectutest me"?

I don't see how anything has changed. He is speaking to all men in all ages.

If we fall on Him and are broken (contrite, repented), then we receive mercy as the publicans and harlots He spoke of back then who repented. Otherwise, if we remain unbending, prideful, stiffnecked and rejecting of Him (like the Pharisees) and His Word, then the Rock will fall on us one day in judgment.

The other way I see the Holy Spirit applying this is according to Hebrews 12 and I have heard testimonies of this and even apply it to my own life this way.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

But, this is something people have to receive from the Spirit. I personally see it as God "falling" on us to break us but not destroy us. To break us of pride, to chasten us.

Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:

Kind of like a ROCK falling on you.

And that is why He speaks to His Church, thus:
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

And what happens to the Pharisee, that will NOT BE BROKEN?

I don't want to find out.

777

Agree with Anonymous 777. Very important insights. Here are some additional scriptures about the falling on Christ in repentance or him falling on you in wrath. Psalm 2 is a direct prophecy about Christ and the call of the gospel which is also quoted in Acts 4.

Psalm 2:7-12:

7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Psalm 50:22-23:

22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

Romans 2:4-5:

4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

I see it as a blessed thing to fall on the Rock, as a demonstration of brokenness, rather than the Rock actively breaking the person (although He does, gently and truthfully).

Also, on the Rock grinding to powder, I believe Daniel 2:45 is relevant, in its context.

The way that I would tie these very important verses into life in a practical way is to say that many may be reading this that could very well be undergoing a very harsh trial that may seem so harsh that they are bitter and angry at God. You have been betrayed, been offended and hurt and maybe even think that you have brought the chastisement of God upon yourself. Many of us can relate. What is important is what we have learned about those experiences.

I learned that:

Mat 12:20 A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory.

You may feel like this bruised reed right now, that is on its last legs of life. Your hope and faith seem to have taken a death blow and you don't think you can stand anymore. You feel like all of your strength is gone. The cares of life have crushed you and you feel so crippled that you wonder if you will ever love God again, or walk in victory. You are at the point where you could care less about your testimony and wondering if walking with God is really even worth it.

He will not deal that "final blow" that finally breaks you.

Those of you, who have never been there before, may be surprised to know that I am talking about something that is part of the Christian walk. If I was told this in my 2nd year with the Lord, I would not have understood.

When you first came to Him it was because you recognized that you were lost and doomed without Him and He was your only salvation from the wrath to come. Nothing was working in your life and you came to the end of your rope and reached out to Jesus.

But then, as we walk with Him, we have to come to the end of our rope again, don't we? We have to learn that He cares not a wit for anything that we can offer Him. He wants our heart, our devotion, our obedience. He does not want our ways or our thoughts on the matter. He wants us to learn His ways and His thoughts. This always comes as a crushing blow to us when we have believed with all our heart that what we are doing for God was authored by Him. And then we find out that we were deceived by our own heart, lusts, and imagination.

We feel crushed by the Rock. All of OUR goals and dreams are shattered. It is the Lord, trying to grow us up. He wants us all to grow into mature sons and daughters of God, who understand spiritual things, who know and understand Him. It seems the bigger we grow OUR REPUTATION or our kingdom, the harder the fall is going to be. That is one aspect. Causing our own fall by our own pride. And if you are His son and not a bastard, you will fall if you don’t voluntary fall on Him first. He will make sure of that. All of God’s children are partakers of His chastisement.

Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Another aspect is Satan using others to bruise us. Here again, PRIDE is at work. If we receive the bruise because we were offended in our heart, and refuse to forgive, we will not progress in the Christian walk until we deal with that situation. Ten years can go by, but you will not have progressed until you deal with what took place 10 years ago. God will take us back to that place that broke fellowship with Him until we make things right with man and God. God is not interested in validating our self-justification. He doesn’t take sides.

When you cannot get your bearings, and are no longer confident about anything you understand about God anymore and the once raging fire of love and zealousness in you has gone out, God will not damn you for this and finally "snuff you out". Because this is the time in your life when He can do something of eternal value. This is a good place to be. He has been waiting for you. You have finally come to a place where you can HEAR HIM SPEAKING TO YOU.

FINALLY! After all you’re EFFORTS and religious activity.

Job was very bitter at God. Not only did he complain to God about his own situation but he complained about his friends to God.

James 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

The LORD IS VERY PITIFUL AND OF TENDER MERCY!! Good thing for us, eh?

Sending judgment to victory means that the Lord will purge you of your faults, your false doctrines that you hold onto as true and other errors, especially your false understanding of who He is, His character and attributes and HOW HE WANTS YOU TO WALK WITH HIM. Not how men want you to walk with THEM.

He will bring us the victory we so very desperately need, but it will be on His terms, not ours.

Are you ready and willing to accept correction? You have to be ready and willing. That is one reason you have been brought to this place. It is what God did to Moses in the back side of the desert. He grinds us down. Moses was ground down to a place where he no longer had any AMBITION and almost no life in him. An 80 year old man. Previously, at 40 years old, he was so cocksure that HE KNEW HOW to deliver the Israelites. HE THOUGHT HE KNEW God's will and ways. He had a lot to learn, and indeed, don't we all.

And Moses was 120 years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated (Deut. 34:7).

Well, what do you think? Did Moses learn something? Evidently, he did something right, SOMETHING WHICH, many of us are NOT DOING RIGHT. Moses did not arrive at his destination by doing it his way, did he?

What are God’s Words to US?

How do we do it RIGHT?

2Pet 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pet 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
"lust" means "any unrestrained or unguided desire, passion, or ambition".

We all have NEEDS. We need food and shelter. We also need love and companionship. We need virtue and a whole lot more. The knowledge of God gives us the right kind of wisdom and guidance in how to obtain these things. Many of our problems in life stem from the fact that we are trying to OBTAIN MANY THINGS in this life guided by our own “knowledge” rather than the knowledge of God. We even try to obtain spirituality from our own knowledge. As we pursue these things in life without being guided by the knowledge of God we will continue to to be “crushed” time after time. We will come face to face, time after time with a house that is built on sand. The winds of life will blow and our house will fall down. How many times does this have to happened before we STOP and LISTEN TO HIM?

Number 1
The 1st thing we have to do is be:

TEACHABLE - not everyone who claims to have "faith” gets the help that they want from God.

Number 2
Overcome the "NOISE" of the Enemy which constantly assaults you with accusations and threats and ideas that contradict God's Word and His faithfulness about WHO HE IS and WHO YOU ARE IN HIM.

Number 3
Close your ears to all the Compromisers and Cowardly around you. They abound. Don't run with the Complacent, or the blame shifters, or those filled with excuses. They are also abound and especially in your own "church". Reject "explanations" and imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. (2 Cor 10:5). Fellowship with those who know Him and are not concerned about religious activity, pleasing men or outward appearances. Pray to the Lord to bring people to you who know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings.

Number 4
STUDY THE TEACHINGS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and DO WHAT HE SAYS!

If you have to START ALL OVER AGAIN, then do it!! God's Word only becomes real as you DO IT. HEAR IT AND DO IT.
Get in the Word, Live in the Word and turn a deaf ear to the voices of "strangers". If you are going to build your house on the Rock, stop listening to man! You will never build your house, if you are always looking for a man to tell you how to do it. The Lord is your TEACHER and the MASTER BUILDER. (Of course, God sets teachers in the church, but test everything your hear)

TEST EVERYTHING with the SCRIPTURES. EVERYTHING!! Learn how to do it.

Number 5
GET FREE FROM THE FEAR AND CONTROL OF MEN AND WHAT THEY SAY OR THINK OF YOU.

HE IS CALLING. WISDOM IS CALLING IN THE STREETS. IS ANYONE LISTENING?

Life is full of pain and disappointments and if we seek to comfort ourselves and provide for ourselves apart from Him we will only prolong our misery in this world. The worst possible existence is knowing the Lord and trying to hold onto part of this world. Loving the world.

Learn of Him, learn His ways. Reject the religious pressure to perform that is all around you and sit at His feet as Mary did. It wasn't Mary that Jesus rebuked, but the actively religious, attention starved, Martha. Martha was more intent on proving HER worth to Him through HER works and putting others down. MARTHA was all about MARTHA. Mary had chosen the good part, which would not be taken from her.

Luke 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

ONLY ONE THING IS NEEDFUL.

Be still and know that He is God. Not you, not I, but He is God.

Learn to be a pleaser of God and not man and you will stop having those spiritual "identity crises"

You will never have true peace in your life if you are influenced and controlled by the FEAR OF MAN. Get free from the fear of man, NOW. Repentance will bring times of refreshing.

The Lord is faithful to purge us, and to refine us.

You are going through nothing more than the process of sanctification, where the Lord is working to get more of your heart and deliver you from yourself and other idols in your heart.

Jer 9:23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

777

And then we find out that we were deceived by our own heart, lusts, and imagination.

lylewise,

You hit upon an important thing. "SMALL THINGS" that are often overlooked. Our God is a God of humility and not a God of "grandstanding" and "pomp and circumstance".

Christendom is in the horrible shape that it is in because it has despised the "small things" of the Lord. And even true believers are struggling because of all the confusing messages today about the Lord's Will and how they are desperately trying to "FIT INTO" today's "Mainstream" Christianity. The Lord will not validate our compromise of His "small things". He moves on. Small things to God are very, very important, but we look upon them with disdain.

Psamlm 27 is an incredible Word from the Lord.

Psa 27:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

The Fear of Man is a snare. It keeps people playing the religious game and catering to the party line and afraid to speak the "oracles of God" as He has given them to us.

Why? Simple. No one will like you. And, the men-pleasers cannot live without the admiration of men.

Look at Christendom today and how they all love the chief seats and flatter and praise one another, water down the Word of God and vault the traditions of men over His Eternal Word. And, I'm not talking about the Catholic Church, here.

Psa 27:2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Psa 27:3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

I don't think David was just giving lip service here.

What others are doing should have no bearing on how you walk your walk with the Lord. He just asks us to be faithful to Him, He will do the rest. Can we be faithful. Are we willing to forsake the comforts of this life, which even means the comfort of once good friends, who now refuse walk in the PLAIN PATHS of the LORD that we have finally decided to walk in. Everyone will turn against when you follow the Lord with all your heart.

But, everyone will be your friend (on FACEBOOK), when you embrace the pop christianity that promotes people (and yourself) instead of God.

Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

This ONE THING reminds me of what JESUS said to MARTHA. "One thing, is needful Martha, and Mary has chosen the good part...". She chose JESUS.

Psa 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Today, a Christless and Crossless Gospel is preached. No one counts the cost of following Jesus, because it costs you nothing to join the horde of complacent compromisers. There is NO COST. Only PROFIT. Everybody gets paid who follows the FALSE PROPHETS AND FALSE CHRIST's today.

Is the Christ that we follow, the Christ of the Bible?

Psa 27:6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

Psa 27:7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

Psa 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

Are our hearts in agreement with what God says and wants? He has a way of "grinding" us down (sanctification) until we come to full surrender to His will. This posture of our hearts must be maintained, daily. We are all, always in danger of drifting....

Psa 27:9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

Psa 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

Psa 27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

The Lord's way is PLAIN. We have despised small things and MADE HIS PLAIN PATHS COMPLICATED. No wonder confusion abounds today and so many people that call themselves followers of Christ are in such dire condition.

We need to know His Way in order to walk in the Way. But, we have perverted His way and all the paths today are CROOKED". CONFUSIONS ABOUNDS as to WHAT THE WILL OF THE LORD IS and the "ships" are crashing on the rocks, daily.

Has the Lord ever changed? No. I am the LORD, I CHANGE NOT. We keep trying to invent a better way to know God, to serve God and to do His will. And all what these ways really do, is avoid the CROSS.

Psa 27:12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

Psa 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

The Goodness of the Lord is Light, Revelation and Truth which will dispel our darkness and confusion. And His Love will strengthen us and give us hope when we are in the darkest, deepest pit.

And the GOODNESS of the LORD to us, is the CROSS!!

To walk with the Lord, you have to know in the core of your very being that ALL THAT GOD ALLOWS IN OUR LIVES IS FOR OUR GOOD AND FOR HIS GLORY.

Christendom today walks and talks, like it is the other way around. They grab the Glory for all the good they are doing for GOD.

Psa 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Wait on the Lord, brother. Seek to be known of Him and to know Him.

I wouldn't worry about the cackle of voices in the "air" that tell you to do this or that.

Instead of striking out and seeking to experience the TRUE God in our lives today (just you and Him), and the realities of His Living Word for ourselves, most of us are living vicariously on the testimonies and preaching of the "legends" of yesterday or the "man that comes to town" once a month. We wait with baited breath on what "gems" the preacher is going to tell us on Sunday.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

There are some great testimonies, no doubt. I have been extremely blessed. But, Christianity is walking daily with a Living God on His terms and taking NEW GROUND for the Kingdom of God instead of watching as it were, "reruns from the past and exclaiming ooh and ahh".

Let's stop being so enamored with men and GIVE HIM THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME!!

Pass the popcorn, please. ;-)

777

P.S. The Lord never went with the crowd, and we should not, either.