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Pastor Rick teaches that, from the beginning, God’s plan has been to make you like his Son, Jesus—this is your destiny. The Bible describes Jesus as “the exact likeness of God,” “the visible image of the invisible God,” and “the exact representation of his being” (2 Corinthians 4:4 GNT, Colossians 1:15 NLT, Hebrews 1:3 NIV).
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Hey there, everybody, and welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. And whether today is your first time tuning in or if you're a regular listener, we're really excited that you're here. Well, today, Pastor Rick is continuing his series called Discover Your Destiny. So get ready to explore the practical steps to grow in all areas of your life. spirit, mind, body, relationships, and even your career. So stick with us as we uncover God's incredible plan for your future. And here's Rick with the final part of a message called, How Can I Know My Destiny?
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Number three. Now the third thing that Esther did, she not only got disturbed, and she not only looked at what God had given her, but you've got to take the time to hear God's call on my life. I must take the time to hear God's call on my life. You need a retreat. You need a getaway. You need to get away for at least a day, maybe two or three days, where you sit down and you listen to God. You sit down, you shut up, you be quiet, and you pray and you plan and you think about the next 10 years of your life. And you think, what does God want me to do, given my gifts and given my passions and the needs I see around me? What does God want me to do? And you're not gonna do this on your own. So you gotta have like a little retreat time. Now notice this, Mordecai, who's her adopted father, they all know about this plot to kill all of the Jewish people. And in verse 13 and 14 of Esther 4, it says, Mordecai sent this word to Esther. Do not think because you're in the king's house that you alone of all Jews will escape. For if you remain silent, and he said, you can't remain silent. If you remain silent at this time, he said, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. In other words, Mordecai said, I've got faith in God. He's not gonna let this God's chosen people be eliminated from the face of the earth. He's not gonna happen. So God will provide, but he says, if you don't do anything about it, you and your father's family will perish. Besides, he says, who knows? but that you have come to this position for such a time as this. Now remember, Esther is a 20 year old, in her 20s, young, poor, orphaned, Jewish girl. And she's now the queen of Persia. And Mordecai's going, Esther, you think this is by accident? I don't think so. Do you not think that God puts you in this position for such a time as this? This is no accident. And don't just think you can ignore these disturbing trends out there in society. You cannot remain silent. You gotta do something about it. Now I wanna tell you, that's not just true of Esther. It's true of you. Some of you young women, you're exactly where God put you for the reason he put you there. Some of you young guys, you're exactly where God put you. It doesn't matter what your age is. You are where you are for such a time as this. And God brought you to Saddleback Church not to sit, soak, and sour, but to make a difference with your life. He has a destiny for your life. God says, I brought you to this place, and I brought you to this time, and I want you to hear my call. Now you gotta take the time to hear God's call on my life. Now God has called everyone. We've talked about this before. A lot of people think God only calls preachers and missionaries and nuns and priests. Those are the called people. No, everybody is called. Your calling is your vocation. As I told you, it's this Latin word, voce, which means vocal. Your vocation is your call, your voice. Everybody has a vocation. Everybody has a calling of God. God has called every one of you to make a difference with your life. Some of you are not picking up the phone. Now here's the point. You don't call God. He calls you. You don't just go, what would I like to do with my life? Sorry, you don't get that option. Unless you don't want any blessing. God says, no, no, I created you for a purpose. I have a vision and values and I have a purpose, plan and a destiny for your life. And God calls you and you gotta pick up the phone. I wish what we were doing were just a matter of life and death. That'd be easy, but it's not. It's more important than life or death because eternity is in the balance, heaven and hell. Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven. They're real. We're not just talking about helping people now. We're talking about their eternal destinies. It's bigger than life or death. And God has brought you to this place just like he brought Esther to her place, including the good and the bad that happened. I'm sure it was no fun going and having sex with a king you didn't even love. and knowing that the night before and the night after you, it's gonna be somebody else. But God said, you know what, I can even use that. I can even use date rape. I can bring good out of anything. Esther 4, verse 15. Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai. Go and gather together all the Jews who are in Susa. They're the capital. and fast for me. Said, I want you to find everybody you can, get everybody who's Jewish, and I get everybody to fast for me, because I'm gonna have to go confront the king. And I know that this is a scary thing. She's going, you know what? First place, it's against the law for me to go to him. You only go to the king if he invites you. It's against the law for me to take the initiative and go to the king. If you read the story, she said, in fact, he hadn't called for me in 30 days, so I haven't had any contact with him in a month. So I don't know if he still loves me or what. And number two, I'm gonna have to reveal that I'm Jewish, which means I'm gonna keep it a secret from my husband. And number three, I'm gonna ask him to publicly renounce a decree he's already signed and he's gonna look foolish. to reverse a command. So I'm gonna probably die for this. I'm gonna probably lose my life for this. I'm taking my life in my own hands. So she says, you go gather all the Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. And do not eat or drink for three days or night or day. And I and my maids will fast as you do. And when this is done, Then I'll go to the king. She's saying, before I initiate any confrontation with the king, which is no light matter and can cost me my life, I'm gonna have to have a little retreat. And I'm gonna need to get off by myself and I'm gonna fast and I'm gonna pray and I'm gonna think and I'm gonna plan out my words and I'm gonna give some serious time to my destiny. Now, Esther does two things that you're going to need for your destiny in the next 10 years. Number one, just like Esther, you're going to need all the support you can get. She said, go get everybody you can to pray for me. That's why you must be in a small group. Because you cannot fulfill your destiny on your own. We get well in community, we serve in community, we share in community. God meant for us to be in community. The very first thing God said to man, it is not good for men to be alone. Whether you marry or not is irrelevant. You have to be in a family. You have to be connected. You have to be in community. She says, get everybody praying for me. You're going to need that. And the second thing Esther did, and you're going to need to, you're going to need some time alone. You're going to need to go on a retreat, at least an overnighter, where you get alone. Because if I tell you, go home and make these lists of all the things that you're gifted in and make a list of all the things you care about, you know what? You're not going to do it. You're gonna walk out of here and you're gonna forget it and you're not gonna do it and you're gonna come back next week and it still won't be done. So I'm going to force you to do it. And in the next three years, I want everybody in this church to take a retreat. a life planning retreat to plan goals in all the key areas of your life. What are my goals financially? What are my goals for my family? What are my goals for my personal life? What are my goals for my health? What are my goals in learning? And I'm gonna help you. Nothing becomes dynamic till it becomes specific. Now, number four, one last thing. The fourth thing you have to do is what Esther did is that is you must make a faith commitment. You must make a faith commitment. The Bible says without faith it's impossible to please God. The Bible says according to your faith it will be done unto you. The Bible says the just shall live by faith. The Bible says all things are possible to him who believes. Now Esther says I know this is scary and I know it's a big risk and I'm scared to death to take this initiative to go to the king and tell him I'm Jewish and ask him to rescind a stupid decree that a bad guy got him to approve. But It's the right thing to do, so I'm gonna do it. She's an amazing woman. Now in Esther 4.16, she makes this faith commitment to do the thing that she's most afraid of. She says, and when this is done, you know, my three-day retreat, we've all prayed, we've all fasted, and I've thought through where I'm going. When this is done, I will go, that's a faith commitment, I will go to the king, even though it's against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
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What a woman. What a woman. What an amazing woman. If I perish, I perish.
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But I'm gonna die doing the right thing. Friend, you're not ready to live till you know what you're ready to die for. You cannot live until you have qualified and clarified in your heart what you're willing to die for. You're not ready to live the next 10 years. If you don't know what you're willing to die for, you're not living, you're just existing. Not knowing what's worth dying for makes life motion without meaning. You gotta know what's worth giving your life for. On the other hand, when you understand your destiny and you really get it, it grabs you. That calling grabs you and you go after it with total abandonment. And you say, if it takes my life, it takes my life. And if I perish, I perish. But I'm gonna die doing what God tells me to do. Now I want you to write this sentence down. I can only manage what I measure. Would you write that down? I can only manage what I measure. If you don't have measurable goals, it's just a wish, it's a dream, it's a hope, but it's not a real goal. And if you don't set some measurable goals for the next three years, in phase one of Decade of Destiny, to measure, that you can measure, you're not gonna be any different in three years, much less in 10 years. And so I'm gonna help you set some spiritual goals and I want them to be specific. And I'm telling you right now that on the last Sunday of this two month campaign, I'm going to ask you, I'm gonna challenge you to make four faith commitments. You don't have to write these down. But you'll say, four faith commitments. Number one, what do I wanna learn in the next four years, in the next three years? My goal for you is that you'll be smarter, as I said, smarter and sharper, and you'll be more skilled and more successful. What do I wanna learn? What am I gonna commit to become in the next three years? What am I gonna commit to contribute in the next three years? What am I gonna commit to do with my life in the next three years? These three year faith commitments come up in another month, because all the messages are worthless. If we don't make it measurable, I don't need it, you need it. It's not for me, it's for your benefit. So you can measure your progress over the three years. Jesus said it like this on the screen. According to your faith, it will be done to you. You know, every morning, I sit on the side of my bed and I pray a prayer. And that prayer, I pray the same prayer every day. It's a little prayer I've just written and memorized. And then I say the words to a song. I don't sing it because I can't sing, especially in the morning. But I say this as I'm sitting on the bed. I don't even get out of bed until I've done this. I say, Lord, Lord, I offer my life to you. Everything I've been through, use it for your glory. Lord, I offer my days to you. Lift up my praise to you as a living sacrifice. Lord, I offer you my life. I say it every day before I get out of bed. I think this is the attitude Esther had when she knew that going to her husband, the King of Persia would likely mean her head would be cut off because first she did admit she's Jewish. And second, she's asking him to reverse a decree that would make him seem foolish. But Esther says, Lord, I offer my life to you. Everything I've been through. My parents died. I was in the cattle call of a harem. Everything I've been through, use it for your glory. Lord, I offer my days to you. Lift up my praise to you as a living sacrifice. Lord, I offer you my life. And if I perish... I perish. And because she was willing to lay it on the line for the destiny God had planned for her, the Jewish nation was saved. You see, you wouldn't be saved without Esther. Because if the Jews had been annihilated, there would be no Jesus the Messiah. And you would be hopeless. That's the impact of Esther. Let's bow our heads. Would you pray this prayer in your heart? Dear God, I want the rest of my life to be the best of my life, I want my life to count. I don't wanna live for myself, I wanna live for you and for the destiny you've created for me. Help me to recognize the gifts that you've put in my life. Not just the assets, but even the liabilities, the limitations, the handicaps. even the hurts, and to realize that even those are part of the plan to get me where you want me to be in the time and place and what you want me to do with my life. Help me to identify the needs that stir my heart. To realize that when I see something, I go, that's wrong. That needs to be corrected. Somebody ought to do something about that. That you're speaking to me. Help me to take time to hear your call, to be quiet, to settle down. Lord, without even knowing when I'm gonna do it, I commit right now to going on retreat. And in the weeks ahead, help me to consider what faith commitments you want me to make in the key areas of my life. If you've never opened your life to Jesus Christ, regardless of your religious background, say, Jesus Christ, please make yourself real to me. I don't understand it all, but if you're real, I open up my life to you. I want to know you. I want to learn to trust you and love you. I open up my life to your plan and purpose, dear God. I want to fulfill your destiny that you have for me. In your name I pray. Amen. Hi, everybody. This is Rick, and I hope you enjoyed today's broadcast. You know, if you just prayed that prayer for the very first time or you just recommitted your life to Jesus again today, would you let me know about it? There's something real about sharing your commitment. So write me, Rick, at PastorRick.com and say, Rick, I prayed that prayer of commitment. I gave my life to Christ, and I'll send you some material that'll help you on your journey with Jesus, and I'll also pray for you. God bless you.
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What a life-giving message from Pastor Rick. Now let's join Rick with today's offer. Thanks for listening today.
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You know, honestly, I never paid much attention to my health until I had a little epiphany a few years back when I baptized over 800 people in a single day by immersion. Now looking at myself and everybody that I was baptizing, it was real clear that we all needed to get healthy. So I put together a team of nationally known doctors to help me develop a program for our church. I called it the Daniel Plan, based on the passage in the book of Daniel, where Daniel has a contest with King Nebuchadnezzar on who can be the healthiest. The Daniel Plan is centered on five essentials that will help you become healthier. faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends. There are a lot of diet plans out there that deal with food and fitness, but the secret sauce in the Daniel plan is focus, learning to have your mind renewed, friends, learning to grow in community, and faith, trusting God's power rather than willpower. You know, we found that when individuals addressed health issues in each of these key areas, they are transformed. In fact, in the first year of the Daniel Plan, over 15,000 people from 190 countries participated, and the results were life-changing. In fact, our own church, Saddleback Church, lost over a quarter of a million pounds in one year. Can you imagine that? What did it do for our church? It increased our energy. We started sleeping better. It reduced our need for medication. The whole church was healthier. Now, the Daniel Plan has recently been released in a book format, and I want you to have a copy of this book today so you can start getting healthier now. And I'll send you a hardcover copy of the Daniel Plan book as a very special thank you for your gift to this ministry.
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Just go to PastorRick.com to get your copy of this great resource. That's PastorRick.com. Or you can just text the word HOPE to 70309. That's the word HOPE to 70309. And thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope really helps us share the hope of Christ with people all over the world. Be sure to join us next time as we look into God's Word for our Daily Hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.
Join us as we delve into Job 42, the final chapter that wraps up our 30-day venture through the compelling story of Job. Witness the restoration of Job's fortune and the renewal of his life after unspeakable trials. Job's sparking repentance and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty serve as eternal lessons for us to remain steadfast in our own life challenges. As we explore reflections from over three decades of journaling, gain valuable insights into maintaining faith and trust in the divine, even when life's trials feel insurmountable.
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Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Alan J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we reach Job chapter 42, the last chapter of the book of Job, and the last of our 30-day adventure through this book. We'll see Job respond to God one more time, we'll see God speak, and we'll see God restore everything to Job. Let's listen in to the last chapter of the book of Job, chapter 42. Job 42
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Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know. Hear and I will speak. I will question you and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
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After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite,
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My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly." for you have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has.
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So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them. And the Lord accepted Job's prayer. And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first daughter, Jemima, and the name of the second, Keziah, and the name of the third, Karenhapik. And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. And after this Job lived 140 years and saw his sons and his sons' sons four generations. And Job died an old man and full of days.
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We'll take a look for the last time at those journals I've been using through the book of Job. We'll begin with 1984 as I finished the book of Job with chapters 41 and 42. And I wrote, Job repents. God restores him. 41.11 says, Who has given to me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. And 42.2 says, I know that thou can do all things. Thirteen years later, in 1997, I finished the book of Job. With chapters 35 through 42 on the last day, I wrote, God speaks to Job and his friends. Prepare yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me. God puts Job in perspective. He never ever addresses Job's issues but declares his sovereignty. Everything under heaven is mine. When Job has a chance to answer, he laid his hand over his mouth. I will not answer. There is no answer or question to God. He simply repented for ever questioning God. Lord, forgive me for whining or ever questioning you. Give me strength to live in your sovereignty. And 18 years later, in 2015, I finished the book of Job by reading chapters 40 through 42 on the same day. And I wrote, God calls those who question him fault finders. Job desired, waited for the opportunity to present his case before God. He now has the chance to do so and he says nothing. We are so small before God, our articulation is babbling. Doubtful if any of us are going to question God or present our futile case before him. God never answers Job. He never explains what happened to Job. He reminds Job of how big he is. Job responds, God restores the fortunes of Job. after he prayed for his friends. Job lives 140 years, so his suffering may have been a very short trial in his life. How am I handling my trials? In this last chapter of the book of Job, Job does speak to God. Let's go back and see what he had to say. In verse 2, I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. In verse 3, he says, Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job never argues his case before God, does he? Nor will we. Job understands he has no case before God, nor do we. So Job never does understand what happened back in chapter 1, in the book that carries his own name. God does not need to explain himself. After Job successfully faces his trial, this test from God Almighty, Then the Lord restores everything back to Job. Verse 10, And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Verse 12, And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. Verse 16, And after this Job lived 140 years. And verse 17, And Job died an old man and full of days. Notice too, the restoration of Job only came after he was restored to his friends. He had to pray for them, and God said he would hear that prayer from Job. How do you feel after completing the book of Job? Do you feel a little let down that God never tells Job what really happened? Do you feel challenged by your own personal trials and how Job was handled his and he remained faithful? And are you questioning whether you can remain faithful during the trial that God has you in? Or do you feel like you're on the way out of a trial and that you will be restored? Has Job helped build your faith and trust in God? Do you feel sorry for your questioning of God through your life? And do you feel like repenting? Like Job did. Again, look at verse 6. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job repented. Do you need to? When we started Job, we said the theme of Job is can God be trusted? It responds to our heart's desire to question God, to wonder about our faith in a sovereign God when things don't appear to be going right. We said Job questioned God, but while demonstrating unshakable faith... Has our journey through Job given you unshakable faith? Let's close out our journey through the book of Job in prayer. Father, we thank you for this book, a book of despair, a book of trial, a book of trouble, a recap of a life much like our own. Job suffered. He lost it all, but his faith never wavered. As you put us through the tests of life, may we be like Job. May our faith never waver. Thank you for strengthening us through this book. Thank you for reminding us the trials will come in our lives. Thank you for reminding us of who you are. You're bigger than any trial we will ever face. And thank you for the promise of restoration. You restored Job. May you restore us as well. Thank you for the lessons of life in the book of Job. Holy Spirit, apply them to each of our journeys. as we continue our sojourn on the earth. Job had many more years to live after this trial. We may too. So thank you for the promise of restoring us. We give you all the praise and the glory. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Our radio programming is set for 2025. We will cover 44 of the 66 books of the Bible using the Ezra Project day by day through the Bible 11 book series. We start at January 1 with the writings of the Old Testament historical books beginning with Job. We will cover seven more historical books until spring when we jump into the New Testament writings of Mark, Peter, James, Jude, and Hebrews. By summer, we will go back to the Old Testament writings of all 13 of the minor prophets. We'll finish 2025 with the writings of Paul. Maybe you don't want to follow the Ad Bible Radio programming in your daily quiet time. Okay, I offer you an alternative plan. Read the Bible chronologically starting any day you want. The Bible is not organized the way things occurred. You can order an Ezra Project Chronological Bible Reading Journal and experience an amazing journey through the Bible in the order things actually occurred. The first time I read the Bible chronologically, it was an aha experience. While reading Kings and Chronicles, I read the prophets who were alive at the time. In the New Testament, you read about a miracle or a parable by all four gospel writers on the same day. It was a very educational and inspiring way to read the Bible. One user said this about our chronological Bible reading journal. Some years ago, I used a couple of spiral notebooks for my journaling. I've attached pictures of the book, the first edition of the Ezra Project Bible Reading Chronological Journal. That was the picture he sent. I live in Phoenix now, and I cannot find any place that has this type of journal. I've used many types of journals recently, but this seems to work the best for my needs. Please let me know if these are still available. Yes, they are. In fact, it is our number one best-selling product of all time. Visit azureproject.net and order a chronological Bible reading journal today and start your chronological journey through the Bible. I know you're going to enjoy it and want to share it with others. To support AddBible, visit EzraProject.net, the donate button. For a one-time gift of $39 or more, we will send you a free copy of one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. And for a gift of $100 a month, we will send you the entire 11-volume series covering all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter. You will get a book a month for the first 11 months of your $100 a month contribution. So support the Ezra Project today by going online and hitting the donate button at ezraproject.net.
Join Sharon Knotts in an insightful exploration of the profound impact of whispers that the enemy plants in our minds. She discusses the role of fear as a crippling emotion first felt by mankind and how subtle differences in truth can lead to significant spiritual consequences. Gain wisdom on discerning between right and almost right, see how Satan's MO of stealing, killing, and destroying can be tackled with the faith in God's unwavering truth.
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Greetings, friends and new listeners, and welcome to The Sound of Faith. I'm Sharon Knotts, thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's message is a true eye-opener and ear-arrester, the whisperer. In Genesis and Revelation, Satan is called a serpent. The Hebrew word is nakash, and its verb form means to whisper like the hiss of a snake. From the moment he beguiled Eve in the garden, Satan has been whispering his cunning lies and accusations against God and his true people because he is the whisperer. He whispers fear. I think everyone is more powerful than the other. Now that I'm going along here, fear is so powerful. It can cripple people. It can cripple people till they can't even hardly function. It can cripple them till they cannot enjoy the blessings God has in their lives. They are so afraid of everything. And I'm not surprised because it was the first negative emotion that mankind ever felt when Adam and Eve sinned. You know, the story goes on to tell us. And then they went and hid and God came walking in the day and he said, where are you, Adam? And he said, well, I hid because I was afraid. I tell you, saints, I don't know how many times through the years that people have come to me and their prayer request is, A spirit of fear. And I can identify with it. I understand it because I was under it. I came under it very strongly. And I've told those testimonies before how I got delivered, so I won't do it today. But I understand how strong a spirit of fear is. I had it from a child. As a little child, I had it. And then as I grew up, I seemed to overcome it. And I didn't have it for many, many, many years. And then it hit me again hard when I had the back issue. So I understand the fear, the things that the devil says to you. Sometimes he'll tell you, you're going to die. You're going to die. And it can become so real to you that you start having symptoms in your body you never even had before. I know that that is true. I know it. So slander, whispers of slander. And this is blasphemy. And, you know, people always think that blasphemy can only be done against God. They always connect blasphemy against God. But you read the New Testament. You read Paul. He says you can blaspheme against other people. And a lot of times they are outright lies. And the thing about it is he is so clever and crafty, he has the ability to make it sound true. To make it seem so plausible, to make it seem true. We looked at Greek, so now we see the Hebrew word for subtle. It means to be shrewd, crafty, cunning, and sly. Again, the word here in the Hebrew, the idea is that it's hard to distinguish between two things. The difference is so subtle that it's hard to differentiate between the two of them. The distinction between them is not obvious immediately. A subtle difference. And, you know, it happens a lot of times in a good way. You know, you're going to paint your bedroom a new color. Okay, we're going to make it a blue bedroom now. And so now you have bought your bedding, and so now you've got to go to the store and get paint, and you want to make sure that it blends. So you're pretty sure you know what color you want, or vice versa. You've already painted the room. Now you're going to go look for bedding, whichever way. And you go into the paint store and you think, okay, we're going to get a light blue. There are 4,235,000 swatches of light blue. And you're like, this is just blue. Put it next to your bedding and they clash. One after another. One after another. You know, you think that it is the same color. But when you get them next to each other, there's a subtle difference. Amen. It's that subtle difference. See, sometimes, saints, it's not a matter of discerning between right and wrong. That's not subtle. It's discerning between right and almost right. Amen. That's where the devil gets in and whispers in your ear. Amen. He uses words of reasoning to camouflage his true intent. So what is the nature of HaSatan? Jesus said in John 10, 10, the thief personifying Satan is come, but, and that means the only thing he's come for to kill and to steal and to destroy. That is his MO. That is his agenda. And everything he does is to the fulfillment of those things. Amen. That's what he's come to do, to steal, to kill and to destroy. And I want you to know that you might say, well, kill and destroy. If you're dead, you can't be destroyed. Here's what you've got to understand. The word destroy there means to ruin. ruin see kill means what it means he would like to actually kill you but if he can't kill you if he can't take you out then he wants to ruin your life he wants to ruin your life with bondage and lies and fear and torment amen That's his nature. And as I've told you before, the word Satan, Satan in Hebrew, if we look at its root, remembering the original Hebrew language was written in word pictures that later became letters. And when we look at the three consonants in the word Satan, because they did not write vowels in ancient Hebrew. So we would spell it S-T-N. So when we look at the Hebrew letter S, it's shin. It's a picture of teeth or fire. Either way, it means to devour. When we look at the word T, it's tet in Hebrew, and it's a picture of a snake. And it means a snake. And when we look at the word en, it's nun in Hebrew. It's a picture of a fish swimming in water. Not just a fish, but swimming in water. And it means life. Put the three together. Satan is a snake that comes to devour life. That is the hidden layer in the name of Satan in the Hebrew. Amen? And so he comes often in whispers. And I correlate Satan's whispers to what I call white noise. Now, our ears are bombarded all day long, everywhere we go, with sound. Everywhere. Sound, sound, sound. If it's not the TV, it's the radio. If it's not that, it's machines that are running. If it's not that, it's traffic that you can hear in your home as well as if you're in your car. It's kids making noise. Everywhere we go, it's... Noise. And I dare say that a majority of people have the habit of having their TV on even when they're not watching it. It's in the background. They can be doing something completely different, but they put the TV on and they're not even paying attention to it, but it's on. And they're accustomed to noise at all times. Amen? And so we're bombarded with all of this noise. But I tell you, if at night... When everyone is asleep and you turn off the TV, you don't go to bed with the TV on and you turn off the radio or whatever else and completely silent. And you happen to live on a street where there's not traffic out there and everything is completely silent and you're laying there. I tell you, you will hear a low level of A very low level of some kind of buzz in your ear. How many have ever done that? And you know what I'm talking about? Because we're so used to sound. We're so used to be bombarded with it that when we're totally, completely quiet. And hopefully if you're married, your mate doesn't snore. If your mate snores, you won't hear the white buzz. The little white noise. Amen. But you will hear that. It is like this low level of noise. And saints, that noise, that sound is not coming from external stimuli. From external noises. That sound is coming from inside your own head. How many know what I'm talking about? It's not outside. There's not something on in your home or in your bedroom that's making this noise. It's coming from inside your own head. And you see, this is how the serpent whispers to your mind. Now, that is a physical illustration that I gave you. But can we connect it and go in the spirit and see that that's how Satan whispers to your mind? And he knows when to whisper. For you to hear him. And that's why we've got to learn to drown out the whispers with the word of God. We've got to cast them down with God's word. And for me, it means sometimes I've got to completely go to speaking out loud. I have to answer out loud. I might in my mind think of a verse or of a song or something. But you know what? I find out when I start singing. I don't hear those whispers anymore. When I start quoting the word of God, I don't hear them anymore because I'm resisting the devil and he has to flee from me. Amen? And I have learned not to wait. See, a while back before I learned all this, I would wait a while. And the thoughts kept coming. And I would just wait a while. And before I would finally, you know, because I was under a spirit of fear to a point. But I have learned now, I don't wait until he tells me two, three, four, five things. As soon as I hear the hiss. As soon as I hear it and my spiritual ears are sensitized to know that is not the voice of my shepherd. That is not the voice of my beloved. That's not the voice of my Holy Spirit. Immediately I begin to speak against it. Immediately I rebuke it. I block it before it can become a fiery dart to go from my mind to my heart, my spirit. Amen. That's what you have to do. You've got to take scripture and counteract it at the very first whisper. So many times when I pray for people, they'll say, Sister Sharon, the devil told me. And I mean, they got this long drawn out story about what the devil told them. And after a while, I have to stop them because they're going to affect my ability to pray for them. You know, tell me, give me the gist. Give me the gist. Don't tell me everything he said. Amen. Why are you repeating it? I know you're trying to explain to me, but I don't need to hear you give me that whole big long thing. I need you to just tell me the main points because I'm getting ready to rebuke the devil. I'm getting ready to command him to back off of you and leave you alone. And I don't need to hear whatever he said because whatever it is, it's a lie. It's a lie. It's a lie. And you know when you're telling me that it's a lie, you know it. So why are you letting the devil beat you up with it? Now I'm not fussing at you. I'm telling you what I know because I know what he did to me. And I know God gave me the victory and he's not a respecter of persons. He'll give it to you. So when it's just a notion, a suggestion that you know is wrong or you know that it's untrue, you cannot let that thing develop. I'm going to go one further. Let's suppose it's not a whisper. Let's suppose the devil's got bold enough to send somebody to you and tell you something about someone or something that immediately your spirit says, that's not right. That's not true. I don't believe that you need to tell that person right then you need to say, you know what? I don't think that's right. i don't believe that it doesn't witness with my spirit and i don't believe it and you better be careful what you're saying about that person because if it's a lie you may be touching god's anointed now if the person they're speaking of is a godly person a godly person then they need to be careful i mean if it's a hypocrite and everybody knows they're a hypocrite you know you just say well you know the bible says you'll know by their fruits So let's pray about them. But when they speak against someone that is a godly person that you have never had any reason to think anything about them, then you need to be careful because it's probably the slanderer. And if it's not and it's true, it will come out. It'll come out. They'll either get right with God. And if they get right with God, then that's the good thing. If they don't get right with God and persist in whatever this thing is, it's going to come out anyway. Be sure your sin will find you out. You know, it reminds me of when they'd already beaten Peter and John and threw him in prison. Amen. And they wanted to keep doing things to him. That's how they were. And then finally, Gamaliel stood up and said, you know, if this thing is not of God, it's going to all fall apart just like he named other things. But he said, if it be of God, you may find yourself fighting against God. See, he wasn't sure. He didn't know. And he was afraid that just in case they were wrong, they would be fighting against God. So we need to proclaim God's word over our mind. And here's the thing. You may have to repeat it and repeat it and repeat it. You may have to repeat it, but you keep doing it until you've drowned out that whisper. And you will. Eventually you will. But don't let the whispers accumulate. Because then they can become a stronghold. Let's go back to 2 Corinthians. And this time let's look at chapter 10. Looking at verse 4 and 5. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal or they're not of the flesh, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Now, here is what the Lord moved on my heart for myself, and it's helped me, and I will share it with you because I think it will help you. I like to reverse the order. In other words, I start with bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Because if you will capture something when it's a thought... When it's a whisper. If you will catch it when it's a thought and cast it down and bring it into the obedience of Christ, make it line up with the word of God. If it doesn't line up with the word of God, then immediately. You cast it down. If you do it when it's just a thought, it will not become an imagination. And that's a stronger because now it has become this thing of reasoning in your mind that now is actually hostile and fights against God and the knowledge of God. It's going up a step. And if you continue to have those imaginations, then they will begin to be one on upon another upon another. And then it becomes a stronghold. And a stronghold is like a fort that is surrounded with walls. So the enemy cannot get in. But in this sense, it's your mind and your mind now has these walls and the truth. cannot get in the enemy has built up walls around your mind he's so filled you with these thoughts and these imaginations and then imagination means fallacious reasoning fallacious reasoning oh you reason this to be true it's not it's false but you do so that allows you then to reason this and reason that and reason the other till it's built up this big thing amen And Satan has successfully put this wall around your mind until it's hard for truth to get in. Then what do you got to do? You got to pull it down. It's a lot easier to take one thought captive than to pull down the walls of a stronghold. I'm not saying it's not possible. Obviously it is, but it's harder and you will suffer much in the process. Amen. So that's how the Lord dealt with me and it really helped me and hopefully it will you. So we have been talking about don't listen to the whisperer. Learn how to resist him and rebuke him. Now I might step on more toes about this time because I'm going to say not only don't listen to the whisperer, don't become a whisperer. Because you know there are whisperers in the church. I'm going to prove to you. Let's look to Romans 1 29. Now in Romans 1, we have a whole catalog of deadly sins. But we're zoning in on our subject. So let's look at verse 29. Being filled with all unrighteousness. Now that's a very key description. Being filled with all unrighteousness. And here is the symptoms, the outgrowth, the fruit, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, whisperers. Now, several of the traits that we just read here are synonymous with words we've already looked at in connection with the serpent Satan. For instance, malicious and then envious and the murderers. These are all Satan's nature. Deceitful. Malignity here is the same word as craftiness that we've read in the other verses. It's the same word. But the last one is one of Satan's titles. The whisperer. So let's look at the Greek word for whisperer, whisperings and whisperer. What is the Greek word? I'm not even going to say it because it's a little tough. Not that you really care, but here's the meaning. This you do care about. A secret slanderer. Because the devil is a coward and he's like a snake in the grass. He does all his things. He tries to do secretly incognito. So you don't realize it's the devil. Amen. Slander to speak false charges, which defame and damage another's reputation to assassinate their character. That's what Satan does. revelations 12 10 names him one of his titles the accuser of the brethren amen accused means to charge someone with an offense to claim they have committed something wrong or bad and this is what satan's mo is he's always slandering someone slander is a direct connection to satan And I hate to say this to you, but he's got some saints in the church he can use to do his dirty work. I'm not saying just faith tabernacle. I'm saying the church. Amen. The body of Christ. You know, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 2 that there are vessels of honor and there are vessels of dishonor. And the enemy knows who he can use, that he can whisper to them, accuse godly people to them, and get them to do his work of starting to slander them. Amen? Back in 2 Corinthians 12 and looking at verse 20. For I fear, lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as you would not. But here's the point. Lest when I come, there be debates, envians, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings. swellings, and tumults. So here we have that word again. I fear less when I come. This is what I'm going to find. I'm afraid when I come to see you again, Corinth. And I want you to know that this would be his third trip there. He's already been there twice. He's saying, I'm afraid, even though I've been there two times already, I'm afraid when I come back, this is what I'm going to find. Debates and envies, raps and stripes and backbiting, whispering, swellings and tumults. Saints, there was a lot of bad stuff going on in this church at Corinth. It's even all the more remarkable when you consider they are the ones to whom he wrote all about the gifts of the Spirit. But he also wrote to them the chapter on love.
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Amen. Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. What a bondage breaking word of the Lord, the whisperer. One of Satan's most dangerous and effective tactics is not just to lie against God, but to subtly whisper his accusations like the hiss of a deadly serpent. He is called the serpent and the accuser of the brethren. He could also be called the whisperer. Paul wrote to the church of Corinth, I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, So your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. There are five significant Greek words in this verse that tell the story of Satan, the whisperer, and reveal how he whispers thoughts to the mind that accuse God and godly members of the body of Christ. If they are not taken captive when just a thought, a notion, or suggestion, they can become mental strongholds of deception. Whisperers can tear up a church with jealousy, slander, suspicion, and lies, maligning leadership and wounding members. Learn how to discern the whispers of the enemy and take captive every thought. Make sure not to allow the hedge of protection around your life to be broken down because Proverbs says, where the hedge is broken, the serpent bites. Order The Whisperer on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry. Request SK208. Mail to Sound of Faith, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Order online at soundoffaith.org, where MP3s are available. To order by mail, send your minimum love gift of $10 to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Request SK-208. Till next time, this is Sharon Knott saying, Maranatha.
Join us as Adrian Rogers delves into the depths of genuine faith, exploring the synergy between belief and action. Using scriptures from both Matthew and James, Rogers illustrates how true faith results in works that reflect one's commitment to Christ. Through thought-provoking examples and a call to action, he urges listeners to secure their spiritual foundation before the storms of life test their resolve.
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ADRIAN ROGERS WAS A MOTIVATOR, AN ENCOURAGER, AND A LEADER OF THE FAITH. HE WAS ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT PRESENTING SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION TO EVERYDAY LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES. AND YOU'LL HEAR THAT IN TODAY'S MESSAGE. NOW, LET'S JOIN ADRIAN ROGERS.
SPEAKER 02 :
WOULD YOU TAKE GOD'S WORD AND BE FINDING THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW CHAPTER 7. AND WE'RE COMING ALMOST TO THE END OF THIS GREAT, GREAT PASSAGE THAT WE CALL The Sermon on the Mount. Now before I read the Scripture that will begin in verse 24 in just a moment, let me tell you this, that we have a very, very, very serious problem in today's world and in what we call the Christian world. And the problem is dropout disciples, collapsing Christians, banishing church members. People who, when they ought to be standing up, are folding up. They get baptized. They come to church for a while. And then, trouble, persecution, heartache, temptation comes, and they fall away. I call them Alka-Seltzer Christians. You drop them in water, they fizzle a little while, and then they're gone forever. You know folks like this? I think there are many like this. They are superficial saints. And the reason they fall away, the reason they cannot stand, is they have no real foundation in their lives. And when the storms come, they are blown away. Now that's what Jesus Christ is talking about right here. Many of us know people that will come to mind when I read this scripture. And many of you may be here today and you have no real foundation. You think everything is fine. But when the storm comes, you'll be gone too. Because you don't have a foundation. I want you to listen to this. Jesus says in verse 24... Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. He built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew. But what happened? Look at it again. And they beat upon that house, but it didn't fall. It fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. Now look in verse 26. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not... shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. That means, and tragic was the fall of it. Now that's the passage that we have before us today. what a pertinent passage it is jesus here is talking about building on a firm foundation and friend if the bottom has fallen out of your life you had better go back and examine the foundation there was something wrong with the foundation now if you would learn how to weather the storm and by the way the storm is coming There are three categories here today. Those who are just getting out of a storm, those in the midst of a storm, and those who are getting ready to get in a storm. All right? The storm is coming. Now, if you would weather the storm, there are three things I want to lay on your heart out of this passage of Scripture. The very first is this, that you need to erect a sturdy building. Now the Lord says that we're all building a house. Our lives are like a house. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man that built his house upon a rock. Now you're all building some kind of a spiritual house. Everybody is. I cannot live in the house you build. You cannot live in the house I build. I am stuck with the house that I build, and I will stand or fall in the house that I build. Now, our Lord here is talking about two kinds of builders. In verse 24, He talks about a wise builder who built his house upon a rock. And in verse 26, He talks about a foolish builder who built his house upon the sand. Now wait a minute. In many ways these two builders are very much alike. The Lord in this passage is not talking about the out and out pagan. He's talking about two categories of persons who have heard His Word. Two so-called followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. But there was a vital, vital difference in these two. But the difference was below the surface. The difference is not what we see when we look around. The difference is in the foundation. There was the rock builder, first of all. The rock builder. He built his house upon a rock. Luke says in Luke chapter 6 and verse 48 that the builder dug deep. He dug deep and laid the foundation upon a rock. You know that a house with a good foundation can stand the storm. But then he said there was another man. This was the sand builder. Now you can build a house more quickly if you don't bother with the foundation. Just go out to a sandy lot and begin to build. Lay the joists on the ground. put down a base, build the walls, put the roof on. Hey, that's easier. That's quicker. That's less costly. And your house will look just as good as your neighbor's. As a matter of fact, you can take some of the money that you would have put in the foundation and maybe put a little more gingerbread on your house. Now, these are the two kinds of builders. Very, very similar and yet vitally different. Now what makes a firm foundation? What is building on the rock? Jesus makes it very clear. Look in verse 24. There are two things necessary to have a firm foundation. What two things make the rock? Well, first of all, hearing the Word of God. Jesus said, Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine. Now that's what we're doing today. We're listening to the Word of God because the Bible says in Romans chapter 10 verse 17 that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So that's part of having a rock foundation for your life. You must hear the Word of God. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine. But that's only half of it. Now look very carefully in verse 24. Whosoever heareth these words of mine, and what's that next word? And doeth them. And that's where we begin to separate the rock builders from the sand builders. Now one of those who must have been there to hear Jesus give this sermon was a man named James. And I don't think that James ever forgot it. Now remember, James heard Jesus say that it is the man who hears the Word of God and does the Word of God, whose life is built on a firm foundation. And notice what James says in James chapter 1, verse 22, "'Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.'" I believe that James was thinking about what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 right here. Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only. Because any man is self-deceived who comes to church and hears the Word of God does not do the Word of God and has the idea that he has done what he's supposed to do. You know, it's like a person who would come this morning and they would say, you know, I enjoyed the message. Oh, the music. The music was wonderful. But then there is no change whatsoever in their lifestyle and the way they live. James said that man is deceived. And he has deceived himself. He is self-deluded. Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Jesus said, whosoever hears this word and does it. Now, let's just stay with James for a moment. I want you to go to James chapter 2, and I'm going to read an extended passage of Scripture. And it is one of the most controversial passages of Scripture in all of the Bible. But I am totally convinced that what I'm about to read this morning is the message that most churches in America need. Here's James. James is very straightforward. He says, if you are a hearer of the Word and you're not a doer, you are deceived. And then he asks a question in chapter 2, verse 14. What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith? and hath not works. Can faith save him? Now the Greek manuscript would give it this way, can that faith save him? That is faith without works. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled. Notwithstanding, you give them not those things which are needful to the body. What good does it do? What does it profit? Even so, listen, faith, if it hath not works, is D-E-A-D, dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest there is one God, thou dost well. The devils also believe and tremble. That's more than some folks do. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Also, I wanted to read the whole passage. I didn't want to leave anything out. Now what is all of this talking about? I want to make this absolutely, totally clear. You are saved by grace through faith alone and not of works of any kind. Now I want that to be very, very clear. It is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. The Bible says in Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. not of works, lest any man should boast. And Paul said in Romans 11, 6, and I love this, he says, and if by grace it is no more works, otherwise grace is no more grace. And if by works it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. That sounds like some sort of a little conundrum, a little riddle. What's he saying? He says you can't mix grace and works. You just have to make up your mind. Either you're saved by the grace of God or you're saved by self-effort. And James says that faith without works is dead. Are James and Paul having an argument? No! They are in agreement. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. What James and Paul are talking about are heads and tails of the same coin and And they're exactly what Jesus is talking about when He says, whosoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them is like a wise man that built his house upon a rock. Now we need to understand this. While we are saved by faith alone, the faith that saves is never alone. Did that get through? While we are saved by faith alone, the faith that saves is never alone. Now the difference between James and Paul is, Paul is talking about how to be justified in the sight of God, but James is talking about how to be justified in the sight of men. Look in verse 18, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, I will show thee my faith. By my works. You can't see my heart. You can't see any faith in me. God can see it, but you can't see it. The only way you can know my faith is what you see in me. Paul is talking about being justified before God. James is talking about being justified before men. Paul is talking about the root of our salvation. James is talking about the fruit of our salvation. Paul is talking about the foundation. James is talking about the building. Paul is talking about the provision of our salvation. James is talking about the proof. Paul is talking about the marks. James is talking about the means. Paul is talking about a no-so salvation. James is talking about a show-so salvation. They're all the same. What James is saying is that if you're truly saved, if you're truly saved, it is more than just mental ascent. It is more than just head belief. Now, he says in verse 14 that without true faith... What you say is just a profitless profession. Look, if you will, in verse 14. What does it profit, my brethren? Though a man say he hath faith and hath not works, can that faith save him? Friend, it will take more than a pious platitude to get your soul to heaven. You may have profession without possession. James said it's like saying to a man who's hungry and cold, go your way, be warm, be full. James says what good does that do if you don't give him some food, you don't put some clothes on him? And what good is just saying I know the Lord when you don't know him? And there are many people who think just because they have a mental assent to the facts of the gospel and just because they're working in the church some way that they're going to heaven and they have no more faith than the devil himself. because they have never, ever surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Now, James makes it very clear. He gives two examples and one illustration. Look in verse 21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Now wait a minute. If you know your Bible history, when was Abraham counted righteous? Well, he offered Isaac upon the altar in Genesis chapter 22. But in Genesis chapter 15, the Bible says that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. What's the difference? What happened in Genesis 15 when Abraham believed God was seen over here 30 years later in Genesis 22 when he offered up Isaac. That's what Paul is talking about over here. Abraham truly believed God. And it showed up over here. Don't tell me that you are saved and you love God if you're not living by the Word of God. Jesus Christ said, Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say? And then he gives another illustration. Was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she hid the spies? Remember, James is talking about being seen before men. You couldn't see Rahab's heart. But let me tell you what happened to Rahab. Rahab was a harlot in the Old Testament who got saved, and her life was so changed that she married a prince in Israel, became the great-great-grandmother of King David, is in the house and lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Her life, her life was changed. Now some who are members of churches... are still living like a harlot. And you're going to die in split hell wide open. Listen, if your religion has not changed your life, you better change your religion. Just simply saying, I believe, just hearing the Word of God, that does not save. It is faith. And then he gives the classic illustration. He gives two examples. And then here's the illustration. Look at it. And verse 26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. There are the lungs. There's the liver. There's the heart. There's the esophagus. Here's the stomach. Here are the intestines. There's the spleen. What a wonderful specimen of anatomy that is. All of those are facts. But the body is dead. What good are theological facts without life? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. Now, it's not works that make a body alive. It is life that enables you to do those works. Do you see the difference? You can't make a body alive by manipulating the body. That doesn't give life. It is life that gives the works. There's no contradiction. What we're saying is this, that if you would be a rock builder, you must hear the Word of God and heed the Word of God. Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only. There are millions of people who are trudging to churches on Sunday, listening to sermons, and they're going to die and go to hell because there's never been a change in their life. Jesus said, Whosoever heareth these words of mine, and does them, he's like a man that built his house upon a rock. So the very first thing I want you to see, listen to me. If you would weather the storm, you must erect a sturdy building. Now let's move to the second point very quickly. Not only must you erect a sturdy building, that's one that has a firm foundation. But after you erect a sturdy building you can expect a stormy blast. A sturdy building, a stormy blast. It is coming. Go back now to our passage of Scripture there that we're looking at in Matthew chapter 7 and see what our Lord says. And we need to understand this. Children of God you need to understand this. Listen very carefully. Jesus says that the storm fell upon both houses. In verse 25, And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house. Which house? The house built upon a rock. Verse 27, And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house. What house? The house on the sand. Now when you get saved, does that mean there are going to be no storms in your life? There will be storms. The rain comes down. that's pressure from above. The floods come up, that's pressure from beneath. The wind blows, that's pressure all around. Man that is born of woman is full of trouble. Storms come to every life, saved or lost. Built on the are built on the sand, I can tell you from the authority of the Word of God, you are going into storms. And you know what the storm is going to do? The storm is going to show whether or not you have a foundation. That's all it's going to do. The storm is going to test your faith. And a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. Don't get the idea that simply when you get saved that there's going to be no more trouble, no more difficulty. The storms are going to come. And if you get your theology from circumstances rather than from the Word of God, you're going to get the idea that God doesn't love you. Let me tell you, friends, storms are going to come. There's going to be sickness. There's going to be suffering. There's going to be persecution. There's going to be heartache. There's going to be difficulty. But these things cannot separate a man whose life is built on the rock. Romans 8, verses 35 and following. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we're killed all the day long. We're counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, not in the absence of these things, but in all of these things, in the eye of the storm, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And difficulty in your life does not mean that God has abandoned you. It does not mean that. He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13, verses 5 and 6. You must erect, my dear friend, a very stable, a very secure, a very strong building. You must do that. And then you must expect a stormy blast. And then you can experience peace. the steadfast blessing. Notice again what Jesus says. Jesus says here in verse 24, And whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house. Luke says it beat vehemently upon the house. But it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. Why do some people fold up? Why do some people cave in? Why are some just blown away? I'll tell you why. They have built upon the shifting sand of good intention. They have built upon the silt and the muck of religious activity but they have never built upon the Lord Jesus Christ where the Bible says other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is the Lord Jesus Christ you say pastor I know one of the finest families in our church they used to serve God but difficulty came and we don't see them anymore but they were such a fine family pastor yes beautiful house well furnished well painted, well designed, and that was a wonderful family living in that spiritual house, but it had no foundation. John says in 1 John 2 verse 19, they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. I'm not talking to you this morning about sinless perfection. I'm not saying that if you get saved and give your heart to Jesus and the storms come that you won't have some doubts. You will. I'm not saying that you won't stumble. You may. You may. I'm not saying that you might not have a relapse. You might have a relapse. You know, standing in the crowd when Jesus gave this Sermon on the Mount about two kinds of builders, you know who was there most likely? A man named Simon Peter and a man named Judas. They're both there. They heard Jesus say, "'Whosoever heareth these things of mine and doeth them, I liken him unto a wise man that buildeth his house upon a rock.'" The winds, the rains, the floods came, beat upon the house, but it stood. Then they heard Jesus say, But a foolish man is like a man to build his house upon the sand. The winds, the rains, the floods came, and the house fell. And tragic, great was the fall of it. Judas was there, and Simon Peter was there. Two kinds of builders. Very similar. They both erected a spiritual house. Peter built one and Judas built one. And had you looked at the two houses, you know what you would have said? You would have said Judas can build a better house than Simon Peter. Do you know who was the best man outwardly? Do you know who had the prettiest house? Not Peter. Judas had the best looking house. He did, didn't he? Do you know what they did with Judas? They made Judas the treasurer. Now, who do you get for the treasurer? The best. I mean the most trustworthy. When Jesus said, one of you is going to betray me. Not a one of them said, oh, I know who it is. It's that rascal Judas. Not a one of them said that. They said, I wonder if it's me. None of them said, I know it's Judas. Not a one. You know why? He had a good looking house. I mean a good looking house. He knew how to build a house almost. But there was a difference. Old Simon Peter, bless his heart, Jesus said, Peter, who do you say that I am? Peter said, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said, that's right. And upon this rock I'll build my house. I'll build my church. And the very gates of hell will not prevail against it. Peter knew that. Peter was weak just like I am and like you are. He wasn't much of a house builder, but boy did he have a good foundation. Did he have a good foundation. He laid his faith on a firm foundation. And I want to tell you that a storm came and it blew through the life of Judas. And a storm came And it blew through the life of Simon Peter. And when the storm was over, Judas' house was gone. It was gone. And Judas died and went to hell. You say, did Judas lose his salvation? He never had it. The Bible says... Jesus speaking of Judas, have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is the devil? The Bible says that Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not. Judas never ever had real faith. Simon Peter did. Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon Satan has desired you that he can sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail. He had faith. And the Savior interceded for him. Now you know when the storm hit old Simon, a few windows were broken out. Did you know that? And some shingles blew off the roof. And some things happened to that house. But I want to tell you something. After the storm, he was still standing. He became the flaming apostle of Pentecost. And you know why? I'll tell you why. He had the real thing. He had the real thing. He knew God. He'd heard the Word of God. He'd believed the Son of God. He'd bowed his knee to Jesus Christ. Weak, yes. Failing, yes. But the house stood. It was built on a rock. I wonder if you can say my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. On Christ, the solid rock I stand. all other ground is sinking sand. There are thousands of people in churches today, when the storms hit, they'll be gone. When the storm comes, rather than standing up, you will fold up. And I'll tell you why. You don't have a foundation. And the storm is going to come for all of us. And you better make certain that you have a sure foundation. And when the bottom falls out, just examine the foundation. Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
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