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[0:00] Shores Corner, Mr. Hyne. The epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, the second chapter, verse 20. The epistle to the Ephesians, the second chapter, verse 20.

[0:18] And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

[0:46] As doubtless you will remember, we dwelt on Lord's Day on the 19th verse. Now therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God.

[1:08] The verse now before us shows to us that this household of God has a foundation. Some households are torn apart.

[1:27] Sad situations arise. It is described to us in the prophet Micah in some very sad terms.

[1:43] Seventh chapter, For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

[1:57] A man's enemies are the men of his own house. And we read that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

[2:10] How important then that we should be concerned in respect to the household of God that it cannot be divided against itself.

[2:27] But it is upon a sure foundation. It is true that attempts may have been made, are made, and doubtless will be made, to make divisions, to divide the house of God, the household of God.

[2:54] But the true members of the household of God, since they are settled upon a rock, upon that sure foundation, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.

[3:21] And let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. This verse speaks not only of a foundation, an eternal foundation, but also of a stability.

[3:41] And the advice given, the grace given with the advice, in order that that stability may be maintained.

[3:55] Now the household of God, this city of the saints, are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

[4:13] We have therefore set before us both the New and the Old Testaments. The truth that establishes the household of God is to be found in both the Old and the New Testaments.

[4:35] It is this which will be our strength when the enemies will come in like a flood.

[4:48] Now that which will be a strength unto the household of God is that foundation of the apostles and prophets which is laid with Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

[5:11] None of the true prophets of God, none of the apostles laid any foundation of any sort without Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone.

[5:30] Jesus Christ himself. We cannot have a more impressive reference. Himself, as it were, reasserts the importance of Jesus Christ.

[5:48] whatever the apostles and the prophets have spoken, the chief cornerstone is Jesus Christ.

[6:02] And if we are built up on our most holy faith through the apostles and prophets, through preachers, even in the present day, yet it is only as Jesus Christ is made the chief cornerstone.

[6:29] When we think about the foundation of the apostles and prophets, our attention must surely go to the covenant of grace.

[6:41] what a foundation is here. The covenant of grace. This is that upon which the church of God rests, but only insofar as Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.

[7:03] the covenant of grace would be nothing apart from Jesus Christ. It would mean nothing apart from Jesus Christ.

[7:18] And the apostles and the prophets would have no desire to lay any emphasis on the covenant of grace, except they also laid emphasis upon Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, bearing the full weight of that covenant, being the surety of that covenant, and enduring that all that is contained in that covenant of grace shall surely be fulfilled.

[8:02] Is our faith built then upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in respect to this glorious covenant made with David's Lord before the sinner fell.

[8:29] What a foundation for the faith of the for the faith of the household of God is that which is clearly made both by the apostles and the prophets they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them.

[8:54] And that is truly a most important part of the covenant of grace and it has as the cornerstone the Lord Jesus Christ.

[9:10] Wherever the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned it indicates to us stability security certainty of accomplishment the promises of God in Jesus Christ are yea and amen.

[9:32] What a foundation that can have the affirmative in the yea and the confirmation in the amen.

[9:50] And therefore we have we might say in this respect two immutable things God's affirmation and God's confirmation in which it is impossible for God to lie.

[10:11] And this is precious indeed unto those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them and which entreath into that within the fail whither the forerunner is for us entered.

[10:32] Since there is this teaching of the Spirit of God this glory of the covenant which assures us and they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest we see here the unity and strength of the foundation as Jesus Christ himself is the chief corner stone we may come under some scorn from Satan from our own hearts even from others sometimes especially if we should feel least especially if we should feel that we are amongst the nobodies things that are not but God doesn't exclude them the things that are not are assured by the prophets and the apostles that they will know him as much as those that perhaps in their view seem to have more right to it none of the children of

[12:00] God can claim a right to know God in one sense that is from what they can produce themselves and yet everyone has a right to know God a privilege to know God the result of God's grace in his covenant it is a covenant of salt it is a covenant of life it is a covenant whereby our very being will be seasoned and made lively and fresh kept fresh the household of God are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets to know the

[13:04] Lord is to be contrasted with knowing one another we may know one another and our persons may have an effect upon each other the effect may sometimes be good perhaps more often bad but contrast this with Jesus Christ they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them they can only be bettered by knowing Jesus Christ bettered in that they feel a love to one that they never loved before we were speaking on Lord's day of the clear distinctive contrast that was very apparent in these people at

[14:11] Ephesus now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God we come to another point that are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets this is in respect to our access in prayer unto God we find in the psalms it is good for me to draw near to God shall we not find somewhere in the apostles writings something of a similar nature men ought always to pray and not to faint there is therefore a unity of spirit where there is a unity of spirit there is the inspiration of confidence and all this has a binding effect upon the household of God it has a binding effect upon the household of God when every member of Christ's body is brought to know him and they will all be in one place and that is sink to nothing there they will be in this place sitting at the feet of

[15:55] Jesus clothed in their right mind that is a posture that accompanies our knowing the Lord and maybe our feelings have been like that man's were when he desired that he might remain with him but the Lord said go home to thy friends and tell them what great things God has done for thee the household of faith built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone are strengthened by the testimony of one and another is not the testimony of the people of God a benefit what an enlargement when by the mercy of God one comes to testify before the church of God what

[17:12] God has done to their soul some may say well I can't think of a thing like that because I should be so short God doesn't require length neither does the church of God but it requires the unction of the holy one and this may make you wonder as to whether you have the unction of the holy one you will have the unction of the holy one if you desire to speak of Christ feebly but nevertheless you have a desire to speak of Christ we may recall the words of the psalmist when his determination was along these lines I will go in the strength of the

[18:12] Lord God I will make mention of his righteousness notice that not my sinfulness but of his righteousness and of his only have we come to Jesus as I was and if we were we turned away then what does the foundation of the apostles and prophets say whoso cometh to me I will in no wise cast out and this is something to testify about if we come and have proved this about Jesus Christ in all our weakness in all our confusion in all our blushings yet

[19:13] Jesus Christ has not turned us away and if you prove this will you say that you know nothing about Jesus Christ will you say that you know nothing about the covenant of grace that covenant which contains this point that we have already referred to and they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them and they shall know me that I am ready to receive them and that I shall know me and that I will never turn them away what a foundation laid by the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone this will be the weight upon which the testimonies of the apostles and prophets rest there is no prophesying there is no preaching without

[20:23] Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone reference is made to his strength the Lord Jehovah is the strength of Israel in the Lord have I righteousness and strength the household of God is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets the testimony that they give and not only the testimony that they give but the testimony that is received into the hearts of poor and needy sinners who will say yes Jesus Christ is all in all he is a savior and a great one able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God through him the foundations are eternal foundations even though spoken about by the apostles and prophets sometimes the apostles and prophets did not know the reality of the things that they were speaking about and maybe when we come into the knowledge of some things we just get a glimmer of the glory of them we scarcely know what we are speaking about we cannot comprehend we cannot enter into the greatness of

[22:17] God into the wonder of his mercy into the glory of his condescension into the riches of his grace in that he will receive us the household of God are we amongst the household of God being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets bear testimony concerning Jesus Christ setting him before us as the chief corner stone the headstone we read in the mind of prophets about bringing forth the headstone saying grace grace unto it Jesus Christ is the headstone the chief corner stone of the glory of

[23:21] God's grace everything is contained in Jesus Christ in so far as his grace is concerned and so we may think of those activities which occupy the attention of the household of God they walk by faith faith upon what is it not upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone is it not discovered to them in the word of God those things which support their faith encourage their faith strengthen their faith have we sometimes come to the word of God and see there what foundations the apostles and prophets have laid what are the prophets and apostles have laid concerning precious faith we read in the old testament of those that walk by faith that live by faith the just shall live by faith and in the new testament we have just the same words the just shall live by his faith so that the apostles and prophets are complementary one to the other there's no pulling apart the foundation but there is rather a supporting of the foundation we do not find the apostles attempting to destroy the old testament testimony of the prophets how different from today when there are those that have risen up that would take their pickaxe so to speak and pick about and undermine the very foundation of the household of

[25:40] God the psalmist says if the foundations be removed what shall the righteous do now the foundations are of great importance we see God's electing love undoubtedly set before us in the old testament and in the new we read in the prophet Isaiah of God's election first of all behold my elect then what is that the chief corner stone Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone of election the heaven says the father's first elect and the election of grace were chosen in him before the world began what a foundation then is laid both in the old testament and the new in respect to

[27:04] God's election Paul speaks of it in the ninth of the Romans where he says concerning Jacob and Esau before either had done any good or evil it was said unto her Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated it will not be profitable for us to inquire as to the reason of this one good minister was asked why God loved Jacob and he said I can't tell you that but I can tell you why God hated Esau we might be able to give a reason as to why God should hate us and yet we can never find a reason as to why God should love us well it all comes from this foundation which is laid in the covenant of grace and then we have that beautiful expression referring to

[28:29] God's choice I have loved thee with an everlasting love you see election has love in it our natures may come to a different conclusion and think that it has hate in it but it hasn't and everyone that rejoices in God's election will know that it has love in it love because it was the result of love that God chose a people at all and therefore shall we not feel sometimes the movements of love in our own souls and when we do is that not a sign that we are chosen of God since ye are chosen from the rest as ye are chosen from the rest to God the praise is due and therefore the household of God are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets

[29:46] Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in that it will bring forth from their hearts praises unto God for his divine choice it is most humbling for us when we feel that God has set his love upon us it's amazing amazing we can look around and see others we may feel that we can understand why God has set his love upon some but why should he set his love upon me and we're getting to this eternal foundation of God's divine choice you have not chosen me but I have chosen you no question about it there's eternity in that word I but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain and then the household of God is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets when they speak about

[31:16] Jesus Christ and him crucified look at the words in Isaiah chapter 53 what a prophecy of the prophet turned to the act of the apostles what a confirmation when Philip opens to the poor eunuch the glorious of Jesus Christ in that very chapter it would seem that many of the Jews so learned as they profess to be never saw a beauty in Jesus Christ that this eunuch was to be never saw a beauty the beauty of Jesus Christ in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah as this eunuch was to see and how many people have read the 53rd chapter of Isaiah and have seen no beauty in it well that's a foundation of the apostles when it was confirmed in the eunuch's day and of the prophets now has this been the foundation of our hope you know we read we sing sometimes the foundation of our hope is laid in oaths and promises and blood it becomes a foundation if there is a portion of it that seems to seal itself upon our spirit sometimes all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way is that true do we have to say that's me then what follows and the

[33:34] Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all what a foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone the weight is here the weight of our sin is laid upon him the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all he was oppressed now we need to give a right weight to words he was oppressed he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her sheareth is dumb so he openeth not his mouth and the eunuch as he went along was reading this and he had to make the inquiry doth the prophet speak of himself or of some other man and if you've been reading through the apostles and prophets sometimes maybe you've raised the same point that the prophet speak of himself or of some other man you know the prophets were always speaking about

[35:06] Jesus Christ our minds our eyes are very often blinded so that we do not see the beauty and glory of the prophets as they spoke about Jesus Christ the one that should come the one that should deliver them from their sins the one that would be their only hope the one which would bring about that profound change hold thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with fair colors lay thy foundations with sapphires and I will make thy windows thy gates and thy gates of carbuncles and all thy borders of present stones and all thy children shall be taught of the

[36:11] Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children this is what the prophet says concerning Zion none of them shall be lost and if it speaks to us collectively it also speaks to us individually all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and what does the hymn writer say oh Zion afflicted with wave upon wave whom no man can comfort whom no man can save with darkness surrounded thy terrors dismayed in toiling and rowing thy strength is decayed oh thou afflicted tossed with tempest look into the prophets and the apostles to discover the foundation of thy hope look into both the prophets and the apostles to discover this that one will be the confirmation of the other loud roaring the pillows now nigh overwhelmed but skillful is the pilot who sits at the helm his wisdom conducts thee his power thee defends in safety and quiet thy warfare he ends when our ears hear those glorious words from

[37:58] Calvary it is finished our warfare ends you have no need to fight in this battle has had its application to many a scene in people's lives but it will be a never to be forgotten application when your battle is against sin and the devil and yourself and the Lord says you have no need to fight in this battle the Lord shall fight for you and you should hold your peace the household of God built upon the foundation of the prophets the apostles and prophets

[39:00] Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone and so this directs us to the scene in Gethsemane's garden what a battle was taking place there we cannot begin to enter into it we cannot understand it even disciples Peter and James and John were overcome in that hour the sorrow was intense oh the sorrow was intense they slept for sorrow perhaps some would say how could they sleep for sorrow well the word of God says they slept for sorrow and the word of God also tells us this that the Lord Jesus understood why they were asleep and he said the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak how good and kind and gracious is that revelation of

[40:12] Christ as the chief cornerstone of compassion we may have had something very different to say to those disciples if we had been in the place of the Lord Jesus but he understood they had no need to fight in this battle the Lord was fighting for them they could not fight in this battle and conquer the enemies were too strong but the Lord could conquer now this is in both the Old and the New Testament and it lays the foundation with Jesus Christ you being the chief cornerstone does our religion rest upon Calvary as well as upon the father's election it does indeed because the electing love of the father and the love of

[41:29] Jesus Christ on Calvary in his great conquest will certainly be some points that will bind the church of God together you know when we are humbled because God has chosen us when we are humbled because Christ has died for us we shan't be found engaging in matters which will split the church in half we shan't be bothered in arguments on points which when everything is weighed up are trivial by comparison with this all for more grace that we might have the love of God the father in his election and the love of Christ in his redemption in our hearts we shall see everything else in a right perspective in a trivial view but then when are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets

[42:43] Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone this must be said in respect to the teaching of the spirit of God you will remember doubtless that it is written that the spirit of God will take you for things of Jesus Christ everything will be related to Jesus Christ your salvation is related to Jesus Christ your praying is related to Jesus Christ because you need his accession because you need his advocacy your praising is related to Jesus Christ because he is the praise of Israel your hope is related to Jesus Christ that he is the hope of Israel and furthermore your faith is related to

[43:45] Jesus Christ in that he is the object of all true faith now we have got something to get to stand upon we look at our faith we look at our prayers we look at our praises we look at our hope we look at our love sometimes well has it got a bottom is it founded upon Jesus Christ all these points referred to in the scriptures they have their foundation in Jesus Christ those saints mentioned in the 11th chapters of the Hebrews they died in faith faith in what not faith in themselves not faith in their good lives Jacob couldn't have faith in his good life could he David

[44:46] David couldn't have faith in his good life Samson couldn't have faith in his good life but we read that they died in faith they died in faith as far as the Old Testament people were concerned when they had lived by faith looking at those ceremonial sacrifices and seeing the type and shadow set forth there even their beloved Saviour oh the glory that might sometimes have been opened up to some of those the glory of Christ in the sacrifices but then we come to the New Testament come to the testimony of the apostles shall we not see them testifying of the glory of Christ the richness of his sufferings the wonder of his endurance the extremity of his love and yet his love has no extremity it is eternal having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end natural love at most is confined to just a few but the love of

[46:14] Christ is fixed on his own eternally and it never varies it is always the same love on such love my soul still ponder love so great so rich so free stay whilst lost in holy wonder why such love oh lord to me now it is the love of the spirit that you take of the things of Jesus and show them unto us you know we may be very religious and be very devout and may read the scriptures a lot and may think we understand them and yet we have no light no right interpretation of the scriptures without our minds being enlightened by the spirit of god how shall we know this where the spirit lightens there will be a glory shine upon the sacred page and wherever the glory of christ is it will have a humbling effect upon us now are we amongst the household of god the belt upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets jesus christ himself being the chief cornerstone because the knowledge that we have had has been the knowledge of the spirit and we've been overwhelmed with the glory of the truth of god the glory of that word so often repeated in religious circles god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life what a fullness there is in there in those words of the father's love of the love of the son and of the love of the holy ghost which enables a person to believe believing is most important he that believeth not is damned already and that makes believing important because if we do not believe we're lost but if we believe even like the man did in the scriptures lord

[49:05] I believe help thou mine unbelief and it brought him to tears yet he was accepted faith is not that which we can see faith is that which prevails with God and sometimes we are amazed that we prevailed with God when that is so let us be assured of this that the spirit of God has given us faith to believe believe in the merits of the son of God believe in the father's smile believe in the teaching of the spirit of God the household of God are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone and if we have a good foundation then we cannot sink for the foundation of

[50:17]  God is underneath underneath are the everlasting arms and therefore we cannot perish we cannot sink into hell because the foundation of the love of God is underneath as well as round about may the Lord grant us the glorious knowledge of it to the honour of his name Amen Let's act up in to honour and let's arms bear down in and Will you have the situation youvere this will house away 순간tam dre that and will at stone