So, honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, the stone that the builders rejected will become the cornerstone, and a stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this.  1 Peter 2:7-8 HCSB

In this Scripture passage, Peter is referring to Isaiah 8:13-15 which says Jesus will either be our sanctuary or our stumbling stone.

God lets us choose. We can choose to accept Christ as our Savior, or we can deny Him. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are protected in times of trouble. He is our rock and our refuge. (Psalm 91). We can trust in Him.

When we reject Jesus, we are on our own. When we disobey Him, we will stumble and fall. If you look around you and pay careful attention, you will see just what is meant in these two Scripture passages. Christians go through troubled times. There is nowhere in Scripture that says we are immune from persecution, but rather we are told that we will definitely suffer persecution. We are told we will face trials and tribulations. We are also told, however, to rejoice in these times because this is how God grows us and makes us mature Christians (James 1:2-3).

We are told in Romans 8:28 God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Our trials mature us and will all work out for our good when we trust in the Lord. Romans 8:31 tells us if God is for us who is against us? In Christ we have salvation, we have protection, we have peace, and we have joy.

If we deny Christ, however, it’s not such a pretty picture. Our Scripture passage depicts Christ as a stumbling stone to those who reject Him. This means the only thing they have is anticipation of severe judgment. We are told in Hebrews 10:26 if we go on deliberately sinning after knowing the truth, we no longer have a means of salvation just a terrifying expectation of judgment. We are told in Hebrews 10:31 it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

Romans 1:18-25 tells us if we reject God long enough, there will come a point of no return. He will give us over to our sinful desires. He will make our thinking become nonsense and he will deliver us over to the cravings in our hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. We will worship something created rather than the Creator.

There are only two choices. We can accept Christ as our Savior and He will be our sanctuary. We can choose to reside in the loving shelter He provides for us, and He will be our refuge in times of trouble. He is the cornerstone, the foundation of our salvation. No one goes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

Or we can deny Jesus and suffer the consequences. We can stumble. We can fall and we can be given over to our own evil desires and suffer a terrifying judgment and be damned to the pits of hell.

I don’t say these things to scare you. I say these things because I want you to make the right choice. If you choose not to decide, you have chosen to reject Him. We must deliberately choose to accept Christ as our Savior and devote our lives to Him. When we do this, we are assured a permanent home in heaven with God the Father.

If we choose to deny Him, we can expect a terrifying conclusion and an eternity of torment.

It seems like an easy choice, but we are told in Matthew 7:14 that few find that narrow gate and travel the difficult road that gets them to heaven.

Will Jesus be your Sanctuary or your stumbling stone? The choice is yours.

Have a great day!