The Communication of the Remnant (Part 9)

Home Bible Study- Lutz, Florida

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

(2 Timothy 2:15)

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4

The Communication of the Remnant (Part 9)

Matthew 5

23: Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, (doing what) teaching (where) in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

24: The news spread about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He (Jesus) healed them.

25: Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.

Do you get the picture?

It didn’t take long for the good news of Jesus to spread throughout the region. 

Here was a man who could heal any sickness, and any disease. 

He could make the blind see, the lame walk, and He could even cast out demons.

Furthermore, the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:28-29).

Let’s face facts.  Not all these people who came to see Jesus Believed in His ministry.

That would be a false assumption.

Some of these people came for the “show.”

Some were “camp followers.”  In my day we called them “groupies.”  

Others were working an “agenda” and nothing more.

They had a friend or relative who needed medical attention.  That’s why they came.
If Jesus could heal them, fine.  If not, it was worth the effort and the expense to try.

Sadly, these two groups I mentioned make up the majority of the folks in the audience.

The true followers of Jesus make up the rest the crowd.  These represent the “few.”

Jesus documented this fact when He remarked upon it.

I take you back to what Jesus said earlier in His teachings:

 Matthew 7

13: “Enter through the narrow gate: for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to (what) destruction, and there are (what’s the next word folks) many who enter through it.

14: “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are (how many) few who find it.” 

These are the words Jesus spoke to his disciples and to the crowds that day. 

This Truth still rings true today, my friends.

 Many (or the majority of mankind) will reject the “narrow gate” or the Truth of God’s Word and choose instead the “wide gate that leads to destruction.”

Now the “wide gate” represents anything else but what God has chosen to reveal to His creation – see Deuteronomy 29:29.

This isn’t my opinion and it isn’t based on my assumption. 

How do I know this? 

This teaching follows the one above:

The Two Foundations

Matthew 7

24: “Therefore, everyone who hears these (what) words of Mine and (does what) acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  (The rock in Scripture is referring to Jesus Christ unless a rock is specifically named).

25: “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and winds blew and slammed against the house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock

26: “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

27: “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – (here is a warning) and great was its fall.

So, why did the “wise” man’s house stand?

He chose to build his house on the rock.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the “Rock” of our salvation. 

Our salvation must be built on solid ground.  Solid ground represents:

1.      Knowing Him.

2.      Building a daily personal relationship with Him.

3.      Spending quality time with Him in prayer.

4.      Studying His Word, The Bible.

5.       Making a plan in your life that you desire in accordance to His will.   

Daily struggles, trials, temptations and sin are a fact of life; hopefully, not every day.

But the stronger our foundation is, the better we will be able to withstand the storms around us.  Let us choose to be like the “Wise Man” who built his house on the rock.

Today the majority take great care to ensure that their house foundations are built properly to prevent future disaster.  Soil tests are made to make sure the soil can be compressed to hold the weight of the structure.  Concrete is tested when it is poured to ensure its structural integrity.  Foundation walls are designed to bear the full load of the house. 

Here in Florida we have enacted special building codes requiring new structures be built to withstand hurricane force winds and have shutters or impact-resistant glass to protect openings.  What’s more, there are teams of inspectors who ensure the codes are enforced.  When all of these precautions have been taken they feel secure in their homes because they know that they are well founded.

Unfortunately, the same care is seldom expended on the foundation of their lives in preparation for eternity.  This is ironic since their earthly homes are temporary even if they live in them for a lifetime.  

The Bible says:

Psalm 49

7: No man can by any means redeem his brother (or sister) Or give to God a ransom for him –

8: For the redemption of his (what) soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever -

9: That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.

10: For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others.

11: Their inner thought is that their (what) houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.

12: But (here’s the Truth) man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

13: This is the way of those who are (what’s the next word) foolish, And of those after them (the many) who approve their words. 

14: As sheep, they are approved for (where) Sheol (in ancient Hebrew theology, the dwelling place of the dead); Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright (righteous, faithful, Believers) shall rule over them in the morning, And their form (the unrighteous; unbelievers) shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.

“Many” unwise men and women throughout history have chosen to build their house (their eternal future) “on the sand” instead of on the Rock who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – See John 14:6.

They are truly lost but not without hope.

King David wrote

Psalm 119

105: Your word is lamp to my feet

        And a light to my path

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, and the Great Communicator, knew His creation would need assistance and a guide to help them through this “darkened” world.   

The Lord knew His creation needed help finding their way home. 

Your not home yet!

The fact that the Bible is with us is no accident.   

It has withstood the test of time and many attacks.

 Isaiah 40

8: The grass withers, the flower fades,

    But the word of our God stands forever.

Don’t be a foolish builder.

This isn’t all there is. 

This life is just a stepping stone to eternity.

An eternity you will spend either in heaven or in the Lake of Fire.

The choice is yours.  I pray you choose wisely.

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GJ Heitzman’s Ministry

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