My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(LSB575, first stanza)

Do you know where you stand? Hopefully, you agree with the hymn verse above: On Christ, the solid rock I stand! The only reason we can be sure and certain of standing is because we are based on the solid foundation of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Unfortunately, too many people base their confidence on themselves and their own abilities. In Barna Trends 2017, people were asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: The best way to find yourself is by looking in yourself. 91 % of US Adults agreed with that statement.  But what about Christians? How did they respond. 76% of practicing Christians agree. This is a problem. Inward reflection can be useful, but it will not give you the answers you need in life. Those are found only in Christ.

Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

The answers we need are not found in us, but in Christ.

Romans 7:24–25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

He has given us the help we need. He rescued us from sin and death and condemnation. By virtue of our confidence in Him, we have the assurance of forgiveness for all sins. That is why we can Stand firm: we stand on the rock solid foundation of  Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:1–6 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

We have had the message passed down to us by faithful witnesses. We need to continue to share that message with the world so that future generations will also hear, and by the Spirit’s power, come to faith in Jesus.