Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the last window of the said temple, namely obedience, the solid foundation. Indeed, the patriarch Abraham had quite simply obeyed the Eternal God, and we see it in the Bible: he did not hesitate when he was asked to offer his only son whom he loved in holocaust, and this was imputed to him for justice; for there are seven billion of his descendants on earth. This is actually what the Lord Jesus told us in Matthew 7: 21-27 when he said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! 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. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
The Lord Jesus gives here the thought of the preceding verses. He proves that these are indeed the same false prophets, confessing the Lord Jesus in words and having prophesied, taught and preached in his name. They will all be judged by their fruits.
Let’s remember that the title of Lord was that which the disciples gave to Jesus and that he approved (John 13:13); for pronouncing this holy name with lips and giving it to Jesus without doing the will of his Father, this kind of worship will not give anyone access to the kingdom of heaven.
For the false prophets can cast out demons, heal sick demoniacs and perform miracles and various acts which only a supernatural force can produce, and these acts are carried out by men who have not experienced the moral and regenerative power of the Spirit of God. This is what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:24: “ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Please note with what majesty the Lord poses himself as judge of the world and this is specified in John 5.22: “ Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son”. We are therefore aware of his supreme dignity. This is why he will say to them, “I have never known you” because he knows his sheep and his sheep know him, as we read in John 10.14. And the main cause of this rejection is the iniquity of such men.
In this admirable parable the Lord Jesus gives the conclusion of the above and even of all his speech.
And in the Bible we saw in the “rock” in turn : Jesus Christ, the commandments of God, faith, and conscience. Whereas “sand” is interpreted to mean human opinions, own justice, or false confidence.
In fact, he himself clearly expresses his thought with these words : to practice or not to practice his words. In the first case, his words themselves become rock; in the last, there is only quicksand. As for the elements unleashed against the house, we saw there all the trials, all the dangers that threaten the spiritual and moral life of the soul, and this is obvious. Finally, the house that remains firm represents not only salvation but victory and triumph, while its fall, which is so great, is final ruin, perdition.
And it’s only then, that is to say on the day of judgment by the Savior, that it will be revealed who had been founded on rock or on sand, and what edifice had survived or, on the contrary, had been washed away.
- SAY AND DO
- the duty of obedience to God
Luke 8.21 “He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”;
– total obedience is required: Deut 26.16 “ The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.”
-is the price of success: Joshua 1.8 “ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
-is preferable to sacrifice: 1 Sam 15.22 “ But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
-ensures entry into the kingdom of God : Matt 7.21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
-the inherent duty of all life : Acts 5.29 “Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
- proof of service: Matt 25.35 “ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,”
-it is established in Israel: Deut 10.12 “ And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”
-it condemned King Saul: 1 Sam 15.22 “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
-it excludes from the kingdom the superficial believers : Matt 7.21 “Those who say to me: Lord, Lord! will not all enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ”
-Christ applies it in the parable of the good Samaritan: Luke 10.37 “The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
-it notes the quality of love: John 21.17 “The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
– it will be applied to determine the final fate of each soul: Matt 25.35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
- False Prophet: Matt 7.15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”;
Isa 9.14 “ So the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day;”
- False miracles: Matt 24.24 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”;
Exo 8.7 “ But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.”
- Good works are incapable of ensuring salvation:
Mat 7.22-23 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
- Bad activity: Pro 1.16 “ for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.”; Rom 3.15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;”
- Denied by Christ: Matt 25.12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ ”; Luke 12.9 “But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.”; Luke 13.27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ ”
2. HOUSE BUILT ON THE ROCK
Luke 6.48: “ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.”
- The Word of God or the Bible is a blessing to those who revere it: Joshua 1.8 “ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”;
Psa 19.12 “ But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.”; Matt 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.”; John 5.24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
- word of obedience:
– foundation of personality: Matt 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.”
– essential condition to belong to the family of God: Matt 12.50 “ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
-this is the key to spiritual knowledge: John 7.17 “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”
– it is the guarantee of the presence of God: John 14.23 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”; 1 John 2.17 “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
- The characteristics of the words of Christ:
-they are imperishable: Mark 13.31 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”;
-they are full of grace: Luke 4.22 “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.”
-they are full of authority: Luke 4.32 “They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.”
-they are spiritual: John 6.63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”
-they bring life: John 6.68 “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
-they are incomparable: John 7.46 “ No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.”
– they are words of judgment: John 12.48 “ There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. ”(1 Tim 6.3“ If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,”)
- Spiritual failure: Matt 7.27 “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”;
Luke 14.30: “ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ ”
- Spiritual tests, divine methods for testing believers:
– asking for great sacrifices: Gen 22.1-2 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. ”
-allowing temptation: James 1.2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
– by leading men on a difficult path: Deut 8.2 “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”
-irreparable loss suffered by the wicked: Mark 3.29 “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”; Luke 16.26 “Besides, there is between us and you a great abyss, so that those who would like to pass from here to you, or from there to us, cannot do it.”
-False confidence makes life: Pro 11.28 “ Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.”; Jer 17.5 “They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled!”
It follows from the above, that are seen in the “rock” in turn : Jesus Christ, the commandments of God, faith and conscience; while “sand” is interpreted to mean human opinions, own justice, or false confidence. Because it’s crucial to do the will of God, because the day of resurrection or of judgment arrives. Fortunately, the works done are good works of the Lord God. But it’s shocking that seemingly effective religious leaders are completely independent of the power and person of Christ. So a life of persecution is a real possibility for Christians to enter the kingdom of heaven. And his teachings were so different from those of the scribes, because his authority was based on himself, that is, on what he saw the Father doing. This is why he says that only believers who obey the will of his Father will receive eternal life. He is the promised Messiah and the upcoming Judge too. Our prayers support you all in your efforts towards this objective.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows :
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
We have just completed the teaching on the twenty-seven windows of the temple of truth which begins with the eight steps of the spiritual ascent leading to the esplanade of said temple. These windows represent the great doctrinal principles developed by the Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you have learned a lot and encourage you in your continued efforts.
I would be glad to respond to your queries and comments as necessary, before sharing with you next week on the authority of Jesus.
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Lord Almighty.