Such are the lessons for HIS to FOLLOW, to imitate, to consider, and to become one with!!!
MATTHEW 7: 21-27...
21/ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22/ “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23/ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
24/ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25/ “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that 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—and great was its fall.”
Christ here shows that it will not be enough to own him for our Master, only in word and tongue. It is necessary to our happiness that we believe in Christ, that we repent of sin, that we live a holy life, that we love one another. This is his will, even our sanctification.
Let us take heed of resting in outward privileges and doings, lest we deceive ourselves, and perish eternally, as multitudes do, with a lie in our right hand. Let every one that names the name of Christ, depart from all sin.
There are others, whose religion rests in bare hearing, and it goes no further; their heads are filled with empty notions.
These two sorts of hearers are represented as two builders. This parable teaches us to hear and do the sayings of the Lord Jesus: some may seem hard to flesh and blood, but they must be done.
Christ is laid for a foundation, and every thing besides Christ is sand.
Some build their hopes upon worldly prosperity; others upon an outward profession of religion. Upon these they venture; but they are all sand, too weak to bear such a fabric as our hopes of heaven.
There is a storm coming that will try every man's work. When God takes away the soul, where is the hope of the hypocrite? The house fell in the storm, when the builder had most need of it, and expected it would be a shelter to him. It fell when it was too late to build another.
May the Lord make us wise builders for eternity. Then nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ Jesus.
The multitudes were astonished at the wisdom and power of Christ's doctrine. And this sermon, ever so often read over, is always new. Every word proves its Author to be Divine. Let us be more and more decided and earnest, making some one or other of these blessednesses and Christian graces the main subject of our thoughts, even for weeks together. Let us not rest in general and confused desires after them, whereby we grasp at all, but catch nothing.
Distraction is a great device of the enmity to distance us from our capabilities IN HIS name! Diversion is always a tactic in the battles of time, but especially in the battle to steal souls from their CREATOR, LORD, and SAVIOUR! CHRIST KNOWS the enemy intimately, and therefore, TEACHES us HOW to avoid many of his traps, pitfalls, and schemes, THOUGH our INTENT MUST be as solid as a rock, as steady as a mountain, and FOUNDED UPON THE WILL of *GOD*!!!
No matter how many times we have READ THE LORD'S WORDS, if we don't take them to the depths of the heart, strive to understand them, and utilize them, their POWER is null to us! HIS WILL is that we listen, act, react, and DO as HE bids; it is FOR us that ALL this exists, and is manifesting, and of course, for HIS GLORY!!!
In this HOLY season, we are called to reflect, to ponder, to consider, THAT we are further motivated BY HIS WILL, having seen, and understood the NEED to DO as CHRIST JESUS, who IS our model, our teacher, our LORD, our SAVIOUR! To learn to DO THE WILL of *GOD* IS mandated by SOUND reason, for INCREDIBLE purpose, and DOES BLESS exceedingly!!!
JOHN 14: 20-21...
20/ "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21/ "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."…
Having Christ's commands, we must keep them. And having them in our heads, we must keep them in our hearts and lives. The surest evidence of our love to Christ is, obedience to the laws of Christ. There are spiritual tokens of Christ and his love given to all believers. Where sincere love to Christ is in the heart, there will be obedience.
Love will be a commanding, constraining principle; and where love is, duty follows from a principle of gratitude. God will not only love obedient believers, but he will take pleasure in loving them, will rest in love to them. He will be with them as his home. These privileges are confined to those whose faith worketh by love, and whose love to Jesus leads them to keep his commandments. Such are partakers of the Holy Spirit's new-creating grace.
REV. LWINSOR © 2014
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
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