Our Firm Foundation

Dear Weekly Readers!

God’s Peace!  The past couple weeks have brought us many large events in this world.  First we had the hurricane in the USA in its most populated place, New York City.  Then we had our elections and the Christians and the business people in the USA view the results as very bad and troubling.  Also, we had a cyclone hit in the areas that we have churches and fellowship with in India.

All of these events make us once again realize that we have very little power in this life.  It also should make us take a new and fresh look at our Foundation and our life.  Is our house of faith built on the one and only firm foundation, Jesus Christ, and are we living our life on the Rock, Jesus?

Let us look briefly into scriptures with this in mind this week!  May God Bless your week!

John

Our Firm Foundation, Living our Life on the Rock

Text: Luke 6:46-49

⁴⁶ And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
⁴⁷ Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
⁴⁸ He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
⁴⁹ But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Jesus is teaching here right after He taught about the good trees bearing good fruit.  Now Jesus is saying that some people call out "Lord, Lord," and do not the things that he says.  Let us hear the words in James 1:22:  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Talk is cheap and easy, and so many engage in it, but do we actually follow the Word of God, and what Jesus would have us to do? The people repeated Lord, Lord, for emphasis, but it is not in vain repetitions, but rather in following the One that is the Way, the Truth and the Life!  Let us not be deceived by the many in our world today that can say nice things, but the life that they live does not serve the Lord.  Let us also not be such peoples.

Romans 5:1:  Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible also says in James: 2:26:  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Are these two statements contradictory?  No.  The Bible is the infallible Word of God and does not contradict nor be in error.  I believe what is being shown to us is that we are justified only by faith, but that when one has faith, then works will also be present.  The Faith must be first, be living, be present, and then when it is, God will work through His believers so that others can also then be blessed, called, and welcomed to Come and DINE!  Jesus has done it all, all to Him I owe.  The feast is ready, the table is prepared; come to the Saviour, Come TODAY! Please read Hebrews chapter 11 to be reminded that our forefathers in Faith believed!

O dear reader, do not follow the strange voices that can be heard today, but rather as we see in John 10:27:  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me...

Let us move on in our text.  ⁴⁸ He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

What is our foundation?  1 Corinthians 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay that this is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Already many years before Jesus came to earth it was written in Isaiah 28:16:  Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

If we have Jesus and His complete redemptive saving work as our Foundation, then when the storms come, we will not fall.  Even the gates of hell cannot prevail over our Lord Jesus and what He has done on the cross for us!

Let us make sure we are not getting sidetracked and building on man’s foundations such as worldly pleasures, wealth and prosperity, people and relationships, the outward church or even attending it and going through all of its customs.  Let us not put our faith or our foundations in a preacher, or in the arm of the flesh, in strength, military might, or governments.  All of these things will eventually fail us.  While some of these things are surely right and good in their proper place, we must not have our foundation or our trust built upon these things.  Our trust must be firmly and solidly upon our Lord Jesus Christ!

When we build our house of faith on the Rock, Jesus Christ, we will be cemented into place by the Power of God, the Holy Spirit.  When we are building with bricks or stones a natural house, we know that the mortar holds stones in place.  Let us see the mortar as the Love of God, holding us as the Living stones together!  As you know, mortar will not stick to dirty bricks or stones.  They must be clean.  This is a clear picture that man needs to be washed and cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ before we can be fit together upon the firm foundation!

Dear sinners, both believers and unbelievers, believe that the blood of Jesus cleanses you and makes you whiter than snow.  Let the Blood of Jesus be your everlasting stream of life that will keep you clean and ready to be fit and firm on the Rock Jesus!  Lord, make us into your saints so we can be part of the building as stated in Ephesians 2:21:  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord...

O Lord, mold us and make us into all thou would have us to be!  We desire to serve thee, and to dwell in Thy House, O Lord.  Set our feet upon the Rock of our Salvation, Jesus Christ!

May God Bless your Week!

John R. 

Psalm 18:1-2  I will love thee, O Lord, my Strength.  The Lord is my Rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom will I trust; my buckler, and the horn of my Salvation, and my high tower.