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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.
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.
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
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