"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25 In this fallen world, everyone is going to experience storms, and sometimes these storms can be devastating. Disease, death of loved ones, loss of wealth, rejection by loved ones, and the list could go on forever. Scripture says that Satan is the god of this world, and that he gained this authority when he caused Adam to sin. He is behind all the destruction throughout the world, and means to bring everyone down through the schemes he levels against each one. The Lord has not spared us from the storms of life, because he uses them to teach us, to sanctify us, to establish right priorities in us, and to grow us up to maturity. We know that we're only passing through, this is temporary, and we have heaven to look forward to. Jesus made a most important foundational statement - he said that whoever hears his Word and receives it, will not fall when the storms of life come. I remember, at the lowest point in my life, that I reminded him of that and asked how is it then, that I'm destroyed? He answered me that I was NOT destroyed! And he led me every step of the way to recovery and to health. My house did not fall. It shook violently, it was a category 5, but it did not fall, it COULD NOT fall, because it was founded on the Rock, which is Christ. On the other hand, Jesus said that those who are not built on this Rock, when the storms come their house will not stand. Some will give up on God, some will turn to alcohol or drugs or they will seek comfort in sin, in adultery, in illicit relationships, in people who Satan will be only too happy to use to bring them down. Their house will fall, shattered, their lives destroyed and they are left in bitterness, resentment, hatred, all that Satan intended to bring about - to their destruction. There are only two ways to walk through this journey, either your house is built on Christ, or it isn't. The choice is yours, God will not violate your free will. Either way, the storms are going to come and blow violently against it because this is common to all. Those whose house is built on the Rock look back and wonder how anyone can make it without the Lord and the comfort and encouragement of his Word. We know that without it, we would have been done for. “Now If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." 1st Peter 4:18-19 Our position in the world to come will be determined in the here and now as we walk with the Lord through our journey, knowing that he truly is the FAITHFUL Creator. All who are truly his will remain intact, and through their trials they will learn and grow and be brought to maturity. Then when the storm is past, they will be able to encourage others as they go through their own storms. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ." 2nd Corinthians 1:3-5 If Christ is not the foundation of your life, you won't make it intact. You may think you're strong enough to, but Satan knows you and knows only too well your red buttons, where you're weak, how to destroy you. No, establish yourself in Jesus Christ and you will stand, no matter what.
“They looked, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.” 2nd Samuel 22:42 He did not answer them… How do we reconcile the great mercy of God versus his refusal to hear someone? In this passage, they realized they were done in, so in panic they turned to the Lord …but he did not answer. When a person has chosen to walk in darkness, in pleasure, in the insistence on “doing it my way,” there will come a time when irreversible judgment falls upon him, and it can be very severe. At that point, they may turn to the Lord in panic. Will he hear them? Maybe not. It depends …on repentance. The exact opposite of repentance is the statement, “I’m going to do it my way!” In other words, "I am my own lord!" When a person chooses to reject God so that he can run his life himself and achieve what he desires no matter what he has to do to achieve it, how can he think he’ll turn to God when judgment falls? It simply doesn’t work that way. “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will SUDDENLY be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1 But, you might say, when some reach the bottom, when they come to the end of themselves, some repent. Yes, the thief on the cross repented and was saved that very day. It all depends on the attitude. The thief on the cross admitted his sin and he acknowledged the justice in the penalty. In HUMILITY he turned to Jesus and the Lord received him. But what a terrible chance a person takes when thinking he’ll repent “someday.” This attitude rejects God for now, and insists on its own way. If in his own way he expects to turn around “someday,” it won’t work. You can’t walk out your life in self-will and defiance and then think you’ll go with Jesus when you die. To the one holding this attitude, the words he’ll say to God when he needs him …will fall on deaf ears. “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” Proverbs 28:9 The words, “I’ll do it my way,” are the epitome of foolishness. It’s the insistence that one will run his own life with the determination that no one is going to interfere with that, not even God. This is the attitude of the reprobate mind. It’s not going to repent. It instead becomes hardened, seared as with a hot iron (1st Timothy 4:3). Folks, it’s just not worth it. When you insist on your way, that attitude expresses the belief that your wisdom is greater than the wisdom of almighty God who created you. His Word throughout tells us that that is the way to hell. When the unrepentant sinner comes to the end of his life, he will find that his own wisdom that led him there is no match for the wisdom of the God he could have surrendered to. And then he will spend eternity …in deep regret. Imagine - regret …for all eternity. On the other hand, surrendering to God and to his Word is the narrow way that leads to eternal life. When a person surrenders to the Lord, a story begins in bringing that person to be the person he was created to be. God has created each one unique, as unique as your fingerprints, as unique as your DNA. He has a unique, personalized plan for you with the purpose of bringing you to the fulfillment and the joy found in maturity. No matter how terrible your past, the story of your recovery can begin today. It will be a great journey as the Lord brings situations into and out of your life as he molds you into that person you were created to be. You may have messed up your life completely, but upon repentance a whole new story begins. Your life may have been destroyed, but that can all change when you surrender to the giver of life. “The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire,
so it will be at the end of this age.
The Son of Man will send out his angels,
and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and those who practice lawlessness,
and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 13:40
What is happening in the world today should not surprise us, because it was foretold in the Word of God.
Jesus characterized "the end of this age" with the word, "lawlessness." It is astounding that that is the one word above all that correctly depicts this time in history, for that is exactly what is taking place right now worldwide. All that is good is now under attack and being rejected, and all that is evil is being promulgated. How aptly does the Scripture warn about this very thing - pronouncing woe upon it:
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;"
Isaiah 5:20
This is the age in which laws are actually passed to bring in lawlessness, to oppose the Word of God, and to severely punish anyone who cites the Word of God in opposition to the ones who demand freedom from it. It is now demanded that women can murder their unborn but full-term children, and it is now demanded that all approve perversion of all kinds, transgenders, homosexuality with all of their agendas, under threat of great retribution to those who won't. God is stripped of the honor of being called the Creator, while the "theory" of evolution (and it is only a "theory") is demanded to be taught in all the schools from kindergarten through college.
The laws of the land that protected our borders have been disregarded, so that anyone, including terrorists, have come into the country freely, and not only that, but are granted all the benefits they demand. That point of lawlessness is something no one would ever, EVER, have believed could happen in the US. Total lawlessness. Enemies protected. Citizens forbidden to oppose it.
Only in this generation has America allowed Muslims, those who worship a foreign god, to take positions of authority in the government. The agenda is obvious, and few understand that.
America has become the land of lawlessness, as is most of the world in this generation. We single out America because America has had the Word of God freely, so she is judged more severely.
Jesus chose his words well when he spoke of this generation, and he showed what the end of it will be. Those who practice lawlessness will be "cast into the fire" where there is such suffering that the people there will know only wailing and gnashing of teeth. These are the words of Jesus, and many will find to their dismay that his words were accurate.
Rarely these days do you hear sermons about hell. Why? Because that kind of preaching won't fill the pews - and empty pews means less money coming in. No, the churches of today preach "your best life now," rejecting all mention of sin, of judgment, of hell. People are led to believe that all roads lead to heaven for anyone who is sincere. That is a damnable heresy.
"But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift destruction."
2nd Peter 2:1
This is the age of deception, the age of apostasy, the age of the false church, the prophesied church of the false prophets and false teachers leading the multitudes into hell. The only thing this multitude hates is ...the truth, and anyone who dares speak it.
vs 2:
"And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom
THE WAY OF TRUTH SHALL BE EVIL SPOKEN OF."
Exactly!
But there are a few chosen by God to refute those damnable heresies, and speak the truth hoping to wake some out of their fantasies and lead them to repentance. "Repentance" has become a bad word in many churches. But repentance is the way to salvation.
God is "not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to REPENTANCE."
2nd Peter 3:9
Come to repentance, lest you perish. The word "repentance" might scare you, but it is one of the happiest things a person can do. God's heart is open wide to anyone coming to him in repentance, no matter how dark that life has been. You cannot imagine even now the peace that fills the repentant heart, and the joy that becomes his as he is embraced by the Father.
The many and the few:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate
and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and there are MANY who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way
which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
Let every person choose wisely the gate he enters.