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A House Built Upon the Rock Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Our text begins with the word “therefore” which means that Jesus is drawing a conclusion. We’ll have to back up to see what “therefore” is there for. Last week we said that there were two roads that lead to eternity. Eternity in heaven or eternity in hell. The choice is ours. We can walk on the narrow way that leads to life eternal or on the broad way that leads to destruction. We mentioned that there are a lot of churches situated along the broad way. If we have itching ears and don‘t care for sound doctrine (2Tim. 4:10), we can find preachers galore who will prophesy deceits and smooth things to us (Isa. 30:10). In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus told us that we would have false prophets who appear in sheep’s clothing, but in their hearts they are ravening wolves. Jesus said that we can tell the true from the false by the fruit that they manifest. We don’t gather grapes from a thorn bush or figs from a thistle. A good tree cannot bear evil fruit nor can a bad tree bring forth good fruit. To me, a simple test is what is their focus. Is it on the cross? Is it on living an overcoming Spirit filled life, or is it focused on selling the blessings of God? If their blessing comes with a price tag, clamp your hand over your billfold and run. Peter said that we would have false prophets who would bring in damnable heresies even to the point of denying the Lord Jesus (2Peter 2;1-3). Where I live there is a large church denomination that is gaining converts everyday. They started in the 1850s under the direction of an angel from heaven? Well, Paul said that if an angel preached any other doctrine than what he had declared, let his be accursed (Gal. 1:8)! I asked one of their missionaries how many Gods there were and He began to count on His fingers. They also believe that God the Father was once a man who ascended to godhood. I think that fits Peter’s description very closely. Jesus said that not everyone who shouts, “Lord, Lord” is going to enter the kingdom of God (Lu. 7:21-23). Entrance to the kingdom is based on doing the will of our Father in heaven. There will be some who appear in the last day demanding that the door be opened to them based on the miracles and good works that they had performed in the name of Jesus. They had prophesied and cast out devils in His name, but the sad thing is that they were never known of Him. Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; Jesus is our Rock (Ps. 40:2). The wise man built his house on the “Rock” of who Jesus is and what His word declares (Mt. 16:18). The councils of hell continually assail like strong winds and rain, but the wise man’s house doesn’t budge because he had dug down deep and built his house upon the solid rock (Lu. 6:48). Conversely, the foolish man who builds his house upon the shifting fads of spiritual fancy is heading for disaster. His house will not stand the storms of hell. The councils of Hell are assaulting the church as never before: Matthew 16: 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The gates of hell mentioned by Jesus is no doubt "the council of hell." In bible times, governments and courts sat at the city gates. We know that ever since Satan said "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:14), there has been conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. This conflict is not likely to decrease but to increase. It is interesting that Satan did not deny God's existence or His power; he simply decided to elevate himself to the place of Godhood. The council of hell says that it is alright and a personal matter of choice to kill the unborn just as they are leaving the womb. The council of hell says it is proper to end my life when I see fit. Of course this has been expanded in some countries to give the old and the infirm an extra push towards eternity. The council of hell would redefine marriage and family to include any caring persons or groups and not as God decreed, that a husband and wife should be one flesh. The council of hell declares that you cannot post the Ten Commandments in a schoolroom. It is interesting to note that while there have been many recent school shootings, court battles are being waged by those who would prohibit saying, "Thou shalt not kill," in the schoolroom. The council of hell cannot stand the mention of God, much less His all powerful name, the name of Jesus. Scripture tells us that the devils believe there is one God and tremble. They cannot stand the mention of His name. They know that at the mention of the name of Jesus, their strongholds will be broken and their influence diminished. The council of hell will tell us to simply give God a token part of our life. We need our rest, we need our relaxation and most of all we need to be entertained. In reality, we are being entertained to death. The council of hell will have us substitute a dead form and ritual for worshipping God in spirit and in truth. Beautiful music will never take the place of the Word of God. It can, however, be a great tool for spreading the Word. The council of hell tells us that all of the great mono-theistic religions are in reality worshipping the same God, so lets find a common ground. Others go beyond the mono-theistic religions to include paganism. Once again there is a problem with what to call this God that fits everybody's ideal. We can call Him the Supreme Being or some other title that is devoid of power; just don't call Him Jesus. The council of hell causes "religious" people in the Sudan to hunt down and kill Christians. The same counsel will decide that the lives of a few poor black Christians are not worth disrupting our countries oil supply. The council of hell will cause us to fall into a spirit of indifference to what is happening around us. Times are good, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. At least the last part is right, tomorrow we die. What then? The council of hell will tell you that all of this is too big for you to do anything about. That is one of the biggest lies of hell. Mary Queen of Scots is quoted as saying that she feared John Knox on his knees more than all the armies of England. The Islamic president of Indonesia is quoted as saying that he didn't fear Christians, just praying Christians. One Christian on his or her knees is feared by the councils of hell. You can make a difference. Jesus is building His church upon the revelation that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Nothing and nobody can stand against it, the church of Jesus Christ will be triumphant. He wants you to be a part of it without reservation! The greatness of man's power is the measure of his surrender. It is not a question of who you are, or of what you are, but whether God controls you. - Henrietta C Mears Free Ebooks That You Can Download. An Expository Study on the Book of Colossians The I AMs of Jesus Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@About-Him.Com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe to About-Him Devotional Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries The purpose of About-Him.Com is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ whom we preach as the Almighty God manifest in the flesh. It is our desire that everything presented on these pages increases your faith in our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Home About Us About His Word Bible Studies Flash Movies Guest Writers Humor Links Midi Music Songs of the Church Thoughts on the Life of Christ Weekly Devotions Audio Devotionals Topical Studies Contact Last modified: 11-05-2011 Contact us About Him! Ministries |