Sunday service, Dietmar Joosten, 01 Jul 2018
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Choir
When Rev Stegen started at Maphumulo he never imagined that things will work out this way.
When we look at Jesus’ call it’s as if He looks ahead to lead and say, “follow Me”. Yes the storms will come, but He will be with you if you follow Him.
Obedience implies compliance with an order or submission to another’s authority.
If someone visits you in your beautiful house, then you can take that guest for a tour around your house, and show them all the rooms and wonderful things in the house. But you never speak about the foundation of that house.
We look on the outside but the Lord looks at the foundation. Make sure you’re built on the right foundation. Because the floods will come. What will happen to your house then?
The Lord likens obedience to His word to building on the right foundation.
If you can teach your children to obey when they are small, it will make it easier for them to obey when they are big. That is what the Lord wants us to learn. To be obedient. When you are disobedient the Lord waits for you there where you have been disobedient.
The Bible says Abraham commanded his children and his house. Abraham had a father and two brothers we know of. They traveled to go to Canaan but along the way they stopped at Haran where his father passed away. Then we read that God spoke to him to continue to Canaan, and he continued. Later God spoke to him to sacrifice Isaac and again he obeyed. God could speak to Abraham over and over and over again.
But look at Lot. He went along with his uncle.
The Lord said of Abraham, “he who blesses you I will bless”. And Lot was blessed and his substance increased. But we don’t read of the Lord speaking to Lot as He spoke to Abraham.
There came a point when Lot had to choose to separate from Abraham. It was a red light, but he didn’t stop and ask his uncle to choose, but he went ahead and chose for himself. Lot eventually lost everything.
There was once a missionary in Germany, who was looking for coworkers. When a person would come to say that they felt God called them he took them to his orchard and asked them to prune the trees. But he gave them wrong instructions to see if they could obey. When he left they would prune it according to how they knew was right. But they couldn’t follow instructions and he couldn’t use them. Eventually a very plain boy came, but that boy followed his instructions precisely and was accepted.
Let’s also look at Rebecca. When she expected the twins and it was going difficult we read that she went and enquired of the Lord. She was living close to God and knew where to go when things got difficult. And then God spoke to her and told her the cause, “the older will serve the younger”. She was like Mary the mother of Jesus who, “kept everything in her heart”.
Often when things go difficult that is when you learn the most. In Matthew we read that the storms will come, but the house of those who build on the rock will stand. What is your hidden life, and your prayer life like?
Choir
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