The Seventh Step — Christ, Who Became the Ladder
1He brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, waters flowed out from under the threshold of the house eastward, for the front of the house faced toward the east. The waters came down from underneath, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. 2Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me around by the way outside to the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looks toward the east. Behold, waters ran out on the right side. 3When the man went out eastward with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. 4Again he measured one thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured one thousand, and caused me to pass through waters that were to the waist. 5Afterward he measured one thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be walked through.
As you have listened to these sermons on the stairs of faith, you must have seen how varied the faith of God’s people is. We might assume that everyone who goes to church shares the same faith, yet each Christian holds a faith as varied as their own capacity to hold it. Long years in church do not by themselves make faith grow. Only a faith that makes its decisions by the word can come to maturity.
The steps of faith we have climbed so far have had their stages: flower-garden faith and stumbling-block faith, the sharp low hills, the high mountains and deep valleys, the faith that overcomes the waves of the world, the faith of an eagle flying in the open sky, and the step of despair. On which step of faith are you standing now? Is yours still a childlike faith that comes to church only when someone leads you there? Or is it a faith that gives itself up for the church and for its people?
God’s people are those who believe in Jesus Christ and have been set apart from the world. Christians are citizens of the Kingdom of God, yet while they live in the world they bear the charge of making God’s will known through faith. From flower-garden faith to the faith that knows despair, one stands quietly beside every one of his people, on every step without missing one, like a ladder. That one is Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for sinners.
Isaiah 66:1
1Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
Scripture records that heaven is God’s throne and the earth is his footstool. A footstool is a wooden box made for resting one’s feet on. Christ, who sits on the throne of heaven and uses the earth as his footstool, is the Creator, who made heaven and earth by his word and formed humankind in the image of God; he is the Lord of all life. So exalted is he that he had no need to bear a cross for sinners, yet his love made him bear it. How could human beings, sitting in darkness, ever grasp a love so wondrous, a love made of light?
God took pity on the souls who were falling for Satan’s temptation and heading into the pit of death. So he nailed his one and only Son to the cross and, with that Son’s life, sealed the pit shut.
Even now Jesus Christ stands beside his people, unchanging, guarding them from falling into Satan’s temptation. So we too, like Jesus, must weigh everything in the world by the measure of salvation, and we must always live with thankful hearts.
Suppose you had sacrificed your own son to save someone, and that person, far from being grateful, demanded more and more wealth from you. What would you do? If they came to you day after day insisting that, since your son’s sacrifice had bought their life, you now owed them an easier one, you would most likely be enraged. Yet this is exactly what we look like when we pray to God, who had no choice but to give up his Son for sinners, and ask him to make us prosper more in this life. Even so, he cannot bear to leave such wicked people shut up in death. He urges us to repent, gives us chance after chance to be sanctified, and waits for us in patient love.
Jesus cut himself into small pieces and drove in the nails, making himself into a ladder so that all his people could come to God. Because Jesus guards those he has saved to the very end, so that they do not stumble, all of us can hold a great hope of heaven.
It is unthinkable that a Creator should sacrifice himself for his creatures. The love that brought God the Son to this earth in the flesh for the sake of sinners is an astonishing grace, one that neither Satan nor any human being could ever imitate. And who stands before that ladder, raised by such agonizing love and sacrifice, crying out to be lifted higher out of a craving for worldly power and honor? We do.
God tells us to cast out of our hearts the worldly greed that hides the truth. Only then, he says, can we understand his deep purposes. Yet we go on bargaining with God, determined to have our own way. God calls us to live for the soul rather than the flesh, but we plead with him for the comforts of the flesh rather than the good of our souls. Knowing all of this, Jesus still walks beside us always, afraid that even one soul might stumble, and helps us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
We must hear the voice of the Lord encouraging those who hesitate at the foot of the ladder: “This is not the place for you to stay. Let go of the world now, and climb up on me.” God helps us in this way, yet if we shut our eyes and ears and side with the world, determined somehow to live by our own strength without the ladder, we will end up back in the place of death, for the world is a maze. We must believe God’s word and live it out. Solomon enjoyed riches and glory by the grace of God, but what he said at the end of his life was that a world lived without God is vanity of vanities.
1 Kings 9:4-5
4As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances; 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’
God clearly promised Solomon that if he kept his statutes and ordinances, God would establish his throne forever. But Solomon’s heart was captured by the world, and he forsook the holy life. The price was a divided kingdom: it split apart in the days of his son Rehoboam.
God always promises first, and then he brings his promise to pass. Had Solomon heeded the word and kept the statutes and ordinances, he would have found out for himself that the promise was true. But he did not love God deeply as David did, and because he did not truly know God, he did not fear him. Having never stopped to ponder how fearful a thing God’s command is, he could not discern worldly pleasures and immorality for what they were, and he ate the forbidden fruit.
Genesis 2:17
17but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
God said that eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would surely bring death. Yet Adam and Eve heard his command and ate without fear, since to them the fruit did not look like something real and deadly, full of poison. When God warned them that eating the fruit of that tree meant death, if they had known for certain what the tree looked like and what shape its fruit took, they would have boldly refused Satan when he tempted them. Only when you can recognize the forbidden fruit Satan offers can you live a holy life and hold a bold faith. When we know how God’s word is being fulfilled in the world around us, we can resist the pull of sin and lean on Christ all the more.
Even a mature believer with the faith of an eagle will fall into the grip of sin and stumble the moment they give up climbing the ladder of Jesus Christ. We must not forget that unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit and grow into mature character, right up to the moment we lay aside this flesh, we could eat the forbidden fruit at any time. As the end draws near, Satan’s attacks will grow fiercer; we must therefore remain in the light. If someone takes the forbidden fruit just as Satan hands it to them, Satan knows they will rot even if he leaves them alone, and he will go roaming in search of another of God’s people. Only if you resolutely block Satan’s attacks can you protect souls that are weak.
Peter loved Jesus, yet out of fear of death he lied to a young servant girl, and before the rooster crowed he denied Jesus three times, calling down curses and swearing that he did not know him. So afraid was he of sharing the pain of the lashes Jesus was suffering that he denied knowing him, and then the rooster crowed. Only then did he remember Jesus telling him in advance that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed, and he broke down and wept bitterly.
Jesus had warned him of this betrayal, but Peter was so sure he would never be the one to betray him that he did not take the warning to heart. Denying the Jesus he loved so dearly was agony enough, but what grieved him more was that he had forgotten the very warning given to keep him from sin. Had Peter known nothing of spiritual fullness, or had he not known that Jesus is the Christ and that heaven is real, he would not have been in such anguish. Once he grasped the love of Jesus, Peter repented, gave himself with his whole heart to the task he had been given, and in the end took up the cross like Jesus and died a martyr.
Christ became a ladder, and he helps every one of his people at every moment. Yet he does not stand there because he is beneath them. He came down to the lowest place to bring Satan’s schemes to nothing and to save the many souls imprisoned in sin and death. On the day the trumpets of the angels sound, the ladder will vanish forever. Then the only one to be seen will be the Judge, whose wrath is turned against those who never received Christ and against the world that persecuted his people. Now, while he still gives us the chance to repent, we must lay down our pride and take hold of the ladder, Christ, who gave himself so willingly, and climb. Only then can we gain eternal life.
John 4:25-26
25The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.” 26Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”
When a Samaritan woman came out to the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. Astonished, she asked how he could ask her for water, when Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. As they talked, she said she believed that the one called Christ was coming, and that when he came he would teach them about worshiping in spirit and truth. Then Jesus told her that he, the one speaking to her, was the Christ.
Unless we grasp God’s will as a whole, we can talk with Christ face to face and still fail to recognize him, and we cannot discern falsehood when Satan tempts us with it. The woman knew that the Christ was coming. Yet even with Jesus right before her eyes, come exactly as the prophets foretold, without the slightest deviation, she did not see that he was the Messiah.
If we know the word, we must also watch how the world is turning, for only then can we tell where we now stand among the prophecies written in Scripture. If we believe only what we see, we will inevitably be deceived when Satan tempts us with sweet words, even though God has told us what the final signs will be. If, like Adam and Eve, we trust only in how appealing the forbidden fruit looks, we will never stop to think what will happen once we have eaten it. We must hold on to what Christ has told us and gain the wisdom to stand firm in our faith within the truth.
We have received such astonishing love. Yet if we waver at every step of faith and parade our own righteousness, we cannot overcome Satan, even with Jesus as our ladder. If, each time trouble comes, we follow our feelings, step away from God’s work for a while, and sink into our own thoughts, we can never live as his people, nor can we meet God. Jesus never halted on his way to the cross; in the same way, you too must live out each day with the heart of one carrying the cross.
John 6:39
39This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.
God’s will is to raise up, on the last day, every soul entrusted to Christ. It was this will that made Jesus willing to lay down his life.
He knew that Judas Iscariot was scheming with Satan to sell him, yet he did not stop it, for his death was the way to give life to the chosen souls. Still, he gave Judas chance after chance so as not to lose him. He even spoke these sorrowful words: the Son of Man must bear the cross to fulfill God’s promise, but the one who betrays him will face so great a judgment that it would have been better for him never to have been born.
But Judas Iscariot, held fast by spiritual ignorance, sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. People this blind to spiritual things are not lost because they never heard the gospel. They are lost because, though they have heard it, their ignorance keeps them from seeing Christ as the Christ.
After the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and there Judas Iscariot and his band came with swords and clubs to seize him. Then Peter, unable to control his temper, cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Seeing this, Jesus rebuked Peter instead, telling him that he could call on twelve legions of angels, but would not, for it would not help to accomplish God’s will.
If Jesus truly had the power to summon angels, and had judged Judas Iscariot and the other wicked men, many more people would have followed him after seeing it. Why, then, did he not do it? Here we see how differently Christ and human beings think. When we are wronged or meet hardship, we think the capable person is the one who throws every resource of money and people into crushing the other side or ending the trouble. God tells us again and again not to be angry, to love our enemies, to be patient. What keeps us from heeding him is the belief that it is foolish to hold back when victory is within reach. Jesus could have judged them, yet he endured human betrayal and mockery, because God’s will is to give souls life.
God has asked you, too, to live as a witness for Christ. A witness for Christ must share the purpose of Jesus. That means we must endure, as those who carry the cross, in order to live by the word. As you go through life, you too may meet wicked people with swords and clubs, and in this wilderness of a world you may meet fiery serpents and thirst. When hardship comes, I hope you will not angrily demand to know why you must suffer, but will meet it calmly, knowing that in a world ruled by Satan such things can come at any time.
Acts 7:22
22Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works.
Stephen told the Jews that Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. God raised Moses as a prince in Egypt and trained him as a shepherd in the wilderness, and in the end both served one purpose: the exodus. When God commanded him to go to Egypt and bring Israel out, Moses asked what he should do if the people did not believe him. Stephen spoke of Moses as mighty in the language and culture of Egypt, yet standing before God, Moses refused, saying he was slow of speech and slow of tongue and could not take on the task. It is true that the long years in the wilderness must have drained his confidence and his assurance in himself, until he had lost the courage he once had as a prince.
But a change of circumstances does not mean that God, who had helped Moses all along, would leave his side. God is a protector who stays beside you without change, in joy and in sorrow, and even under persecution. If Moses had wholeheartedly received God, he would have understood at once when God showed him the miracles: the staff turning into a snake, his hand becoming leprous and then being healed. God showed Moses the signs of the snake and the leprosy in an effort to turn his unbelief into faith. Just as God used leprosy as a way to make himself known, perhaps the hardships you are going through are God telling you that he is alive, that he is helping you, and that you need not worry. Since the exodus was God’s plan and was certain to be fulfilled, Moses had only to believe; but he could not trust God’s power, and he could not bring himself to decide. I do not say this to suggest that Moses had no faith. Moses was a servant of God greater than any other.
When God called him, Moses needed to realize that all his years, from his time as a prince to his life as a shepherd, had been training to make him a leader. Why does it matter so much to grasp God’s will rightly? Because if Moses failed to grasp it, God’s plan could not go forward at once, the king of Egypt would grow ever more wicked, and the people would suffer for it. So when God’s command comes, to think twice is to be too late.
Scripture shows that it was Moses, not Aaron, who confronted Pharaoh. Moses kept refusing God’s word, which is why God appointed Aaron for him; but in the end the work belonged to Moses, the one God had chosen. The faith that receives blessing, then, is the faith that obeys the moment the command is given. If we receive God’s command and keep weighing his word against the world, either there will be no second chance, or we will have to go through yet another season of training. So we need to judge the events of our lives by the word.
Revelation 1:5
5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood;
The people who crucified Jesus threw stones and tormented him until he died, without the slightest sense of guilt. At the moment Jesus breathed his last, heaven and earth together gave signs, making known that he was truly the King and the Son of God.
Now Jesus has ascended to the throne of heaven. He has put off the soiled, lowly garment of humanity and clothed himself in a radiant light too bright to look upon. The wounds of the whip and the spear have become the narrow gate, which sinners who did not share in his suffering can never enter. The word he once preached, that faith alone is the way to life, has become the standard of judgment, a sharp two-edged sword. Had Scripture not testified in such detail to this fearsome Jesus Christ, we would probably have treated lightly the Jesus who became a ladder to protect us. Because Scripture was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, every word of it is true. It tells us that Jesus rose from the dead and is at the right hand of the throne as Judge, as High Priest, and as King. Anyone who does not repent now, then, will suffer the eternal torment of the second death.
Christ will reign forever as the mighty God who holds the keys of death and Hades, and he will be the everlasting refuge of his people, who believe in him and rely on him. Those who mocked the word and persecuted God’s people will see the chance of salvation vanish forever once Christ returns. While they are seized with terror and dread, the saints who walked the narrow road in this wilderness of a world to stay faithful will stand beside Jesus Christ, singing praise to the glory of God.
You have become children of light, and darkness can never cover you; Satan, gazing on the glory of God, will fall into the eternal lake of fire. Brothers and sisters in faith who endured the time of suffering together will comfort and bless one another, and with the angels they will lift their praise toward the throne and share their joy. So beautiful a reward in the life to come awaits those who did not linger in the world but climbed the ladder with all their strength. We could not share in the agony Jesus bore on the cross; yet if we simply climb faithfully the ladder Christ himself made for us, we will be commended as God’s faithful servants.
I hope you will never cease to confess your love to Jesus Christ. Whatever step of faith you are standing on now, may you never stop worshiping God, for only those who worship God can overcome the power of Satan. And if we lead one another along as brothers and sisters in faith, lean on one another, and work together for good, we will be able to show what a mature church looks like.
When God’s people hold to a steadfast faith, Jesus Christ, the head of the church, will give peace to their homes, to the church, and to the nation. However chaotic the times become, Jesus is at your side. May you live free of worry and anxiety, a good life that wins its victory through faith.
You are Christians under God’s protection in Christ, and so I believe you will enjoy his peace and rest all the more.