The Rock Foundation

 Sermon - The Rock Foundation

When does the crown rest upon the head of a believer who stands on the rock foundation? Is it after the judgment? No—it is while enduring trials and hardships. The crown of glory is present while we suffer for Christ and patiently endure. But if one complains, saying, “Oh! What kind of troubles are these?” and becomes weary, the crown immediately departs (those with the gift of visions could even see this). When the Lord sends you to share the Gospel, and you see no results, yet still rejoice and give thanks as though there were fruit—that itself is true victory.

Prayer: “O Father! Just as a stone hurled with force cuts through the blowing wind and flies far, let the teachings and prayers of our fellowship break through even the hardest of hearts. Strengthen and sharpen them. Amen.” The crown of glory rests upon the heads of those who suffer for the Lord at the very moment they endure; but when they grow impatient, the crown departs to the throne above. Therefore, be watchful! Yet, if one repents after failing, and moves forward with renewed endurance and joy, the crown returns. Every time we fall from the rock foundation, we drift toward the sand—but every time we return, we must reestablish ourselves upon the rock.
Summary of a Firm Foundation: How can we remain firmly grounded on the rock?

1.      By reading the Bible daily and receiving fresh messages from it,

2.     By praying and receiving answers from God,

3.     By teaching and evaluating the fruit of that teaching,

4.     By investing our resources for the growth of the church,

5.     By frequently going to the house of God,

6.     By purifying our hearts daily.
These practices help us establish and remain firm on the true, unshakable foundation.

Whatever man does, God remains silent. Why? As Father. Devadasu Ayyagaru once explained—(1) Just as God has the attribute of silence, (2) the Bible too possesses a silent nature. What does this mean? There are many things we desire to know, but they are not explained in detail in Scripture. Though our curiosity is strong, the Bible remains silent on certain matters—this silence has caused confusion or questions. For example: when Jesus told the disciples to untie the colt, He didn’t mention asking the owner’s permission. Why is that not explained? If it is not in Scripture, how can we say anything about it with certainty? We may offer personal interpretations, but such thoughts are speculative and not authoritative. The Bible does not give specific dates—scholars have merely estimated timelines.

God could have clearly stated the dates of major events, such as (1) the Flood, or (2) the offering of Isaac—but He chose not to. While the Bible does provide general years, exact dates are absent, which is another form of biblical silence. From Genesis to Malachi, there are countless such silences. When others ask why these gaps exist, what can we say? Simply this: the Bible itself has chosen to remain silent. From the birth of Christ to the present age, timelines are more precise. But when it comes to the origins of other religions—the Bible says nothing. It would have been helpful to know, but again, Scripture is silent. Even Cain’s wife is not identified, though many people ask about her. Whether that information is known or unknown, revealed or unrevealed, it does not affect salvation. Just as God created Eve for Adam, so too He could have created a wife for Cain. People speculate endlessly. Similarly, Genesis says “the sons of God took wives from the daughters of men,”—but who these “sons of God” were remains unclear. The Bible is deliberately silent on these matters. Likewise, Melchizedek is described as having no father or mother—a mysterious figure. This may sound absurd to some, but that’s the nature of divine mystery. Many things in the Bible remain undisclosed, yet the purpose of Scripture is not to satisfy human curiosity, but to reveal God's plan of salvation. The Bible was not written for entertainment or speculative amusement. Even in the book of Numbers—a book of census and geography—the journeys of the Israelites, their encampments, and travel routes are recorded not for curiosity but to teach God’s redemptive history. Ultimately, the Bible was written to unveil God’s salvation, not to satisfy every question or intellectual desire.

I. The Attribute of Silence

1. God possesses the attribute of silence.
2. The Bible carries the same attribute of silence.
3. Even human beings reflect this attribute of silence.
   However, silence should never be misunderstood as guilt or wrongfulness.

II. The Recording of Sin in the Bible

1. God caused the sins of the wicked to be recorded in Scripture. More than that, He also had the sins of the devout written down. Why? Because God is impartial. The sins of both Cain (a wicked man) and David (a righteous man) were recorded, proving that God shows no favoritism.
2. These sins were not recorded to encourage imitation, but to serve as a warning — so that we may not fall into the same transgressions.
3. Scripture documents sin to affirm this truth: “If anyone commits sin and comes to Me, I will forgive them.” Only when such sins are recorded can the love of God be fully revealed. That is, when one confesses, God forgives — and this is the evidence of His love.
4. If one refuses to confess their sin, God delivers them over to judgment. For example, the flood (in Noah’s time) was the result of disobedience. These acts of defiance were recorded to reveal not only God’s justice but also His love. Thus, sin is documented in Scripture to declare both the righteous judgment and the compassionate mercy of God.

 

 

III. Divine Authority and Holy Nature

1. Why did Jesus instruct the disciples to untie the donkey without asking permission? To reveal His divine authority — for God, the Creator, holds dominion over all things. He need not seek anyone’s approval.
2. Yet, He added, “If anyone asks, tell them: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” This reflects a relational familiarity between the Lord and the owner — a quiet bond of divine acquaintance.
3. In doing so, Jesus showed that although He possessed full divine authority, He chose to relate as a man. Like a friend asking for leave, He said the owner would grant it — thus gently illustrating the humility and approachability of God incarnate.
4. Jesus never once said, “It was my mistake.” Why? Because He never erred. Even though He became fully human and took the form of a servant, He never relinquished His divine nature. That divine nature is holiness — the state of being untouched by sin.

IV. Divine Timing

God never acted a moment too early or a moment too late — not even in the smallest matter.

Examples:

1. When His mother informed Him that the wine had run out at the wedding in Cana, He responded, “Woman, My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4) He waited for the appointed time to perform His first miracle.
2. When urged to attend the Feast of Tabernacles, He initially stayed behind, saying, “My time has not yet come.” (John 7:6–11) Yet He did go — but only at the time divinely ordained. Every act of Christ — whether turning water into wine or journeying to the feast — was performed in perfect alignment with divine timing.

3. The Lord Jesus is calling everyone to come. Since He came for all people, He also invited the people of India to come to Him. Therefore, if someone says, “I will not come,” He does nothing — He remains silently still.

V. If God enters into fellowship with humans, would He not eat what they offer? Since He came to dwell among us, He eats what we offer. That is fellowship.

VI.

1. Isn’t cruelty to living beings a sin? Isn’t it a wrongdoing? For example, is it not a sin to break the leg of a hen eating scattered grains? This sin is found in everyone.
2. Is it not a sin to beat an ox that is grazing in a field?
3. Is it not cruelty to deny proper food and water to animals at the right time?

VII. Can one eat meat?

1. Before man sinned, all living beings coexisted peacefully with him.
2. After sin entered, living beings turned against man. That is why, when an animal was killed, people thought, “Why waste it?” and began to eat it.
3. Now, even though man continues to sin, God allows it. When man kills and eats, God silently observes — that is part of God's silence.
4. In the Millennial Kingdom, there will be no cruelty to life, nor eating of animals. There will be no desire to kill animals. Likewise, beasts will neither kill nor desire to eat humans. What we see now is cruelty to life — but then, there will be no cruelty.
5. Since God gave permission to eat what was killed for food, He also allows it. Even vegetables are being killed when we eat them. When we drink water, we consume countless invisible microorganisms — that too is a form of cruelty to life.
   Those who say, “Do not harm living beings,” themselves step on ants and cause harm. Jain followers, for instance, cry out in pain if they accidentally crush a louse, but they don’t kill it. When they walk, they tie cotton to their feet, and when they breathe, they cover their mouths with cloth to avoid killing tiny organisms. Even in such matters, God remains silent.

Another aspect of God's silence:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ avoided death until the appointed time. In the same way, we too must learn to escape danger until our time comes.
2. When the Lord went to Nazareth, they did not accept Him, so He returned. Since they rejected Him, He moved on. Likewise, we must also learn to do the same.
3. When the time for death came, He did not flee but surrendered Himself. Anyone among you who wishes to write the history of the Lord must include all these lessons about divine silence. After that, one must write about the connection between God's silence and God's will.

Examples:

• When Cain killed his brother, God remained silent. Because of this silence, it may appear as if God permitted the wicked — but this is a case of the Permitted will of God versus the Direct will of God. Some things happen under God's permissive will, and some under His direct command.
• For example, when Moses killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand, it was under God's permissive will.
• Later, when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and said, “Go to Egypt,” that was His direct will.
• When Moses said, “I am slow of speech, I cannot go,” God directly compelled him.
• The hidden truth is this: Moses feared returning to Egypt because he had killed a man there, and was afraid they might arrest or kill him. Yet God still sent Moses.
1. What Moses did — a killing,
2. Where Moses stood — the bush,
3. What God spoke — the command:
   These are true events. But for unbelievers, they are just stories to mock.

In 1 Kings 22:19–22, the Scriptures mention a spirit coming before God, saying, “I will go and entice him with a lie.” And God permitted it.

Why did God allow it? Because the intent to sin already existed — thus God gave permission. This is again permitted will of God. In this way, God's permission in acts that align with His permissive will can be considered part of His silent nature. Allowing sin to be committed, and remaining silent while it is happening — this reveals God's character of silence.

May the Lord grant us grace today to recognize this silent characteristic of God in our lives, to live according to His will, and to grow both physically and spiritually in blessedness. Amen.

Sermon by Devadasu Ayyagaru, preached at Bezwada (Vijayawada) and Bhimavaram, October 9, 10, 11, 1950.