WHERE ARE YOU BUILDING YOUR HOUSE?

Newsletter 292 April 22, 2012
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“…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 beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 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 rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

We have all seen, and some have lived in houses such as these described of Jesus in his parable. When we first married, my wife and I bought a small mobile-home. It was supported by crank-down jacks on whatever ground it happened to be sitting on at the time. We moved it several times so that varied with each place. Then, when we moved to Africa, my brother-in-law lived in it and it came to an unhappy end. While they were shopping in town, a tornado came along and because it had no foundation, and was in no way tied down, it was rolled over and smashed. Nearly fifty years later, when we retired back to live in Texas, we bought a double-wide manufactured home. It is supported on many cement pillars and anchored with a number of steel anchors, however the soil is still a problem. This soil is of clay and swells or shrinks depending on the moisture content. In the heat of summer it can resemble baked bricks, but after prolonged rain it becomes like mush. This adds to the problem of stability.

Jesus was likening our lives to such houses. There will be good times and there will be difficult times in every life. The life based on the firm foundation of faith in God, gained through a knowledge of his word, and making it our foundation in life, will stand, while the life that just takes whatever comes along and having no real foundation, may not survive the difficult times. The same conditions will exist for both, but the one with a firm footing of faith in God is the one which will stand

In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus used the same analogy, this time he is speaking of the church. “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In contrast to the two houses, each built by men, one built on a shifting foundation of sand and the other on firm solid rock, the church is built by the Lord Jesus Christ, its head. Peter was to be the instrument of its beginning and thus it was he who preached the opening sermon. This we can read in Acts 2. He opened the doors to heaven with the words, “God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:37-39

The result of this sermon was that about 3000 “gladly received his word and were baptized.” “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved,” verse -47. The church of Jesus Christ is founded on a solid rock outcrop, and even the gates of Hades, (death) shall not prevail against it. Persecutions, beginning in Jerusalem and continuing right up until the very present time, have not destroyed the church. It shall still be here when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, and Hades shall give up the dead to be judged. Christ’s kingdom began with the church in Jerusalem and will continue even in heaven forever.

Let us build our lives on the firm foundation of His Word. A man can lose his faith and leave the church, but the church will never abandon a faithful believer.

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READ THE BIBLE THROUGH AGAIN IN 2012

APRIL

22nd. Sunday – Joshua 11, 12, Luke 21:1-19, Proverbs 10:11-20
23rd. Monday – Joshua 13, 14, Luke 21:20-38, Psalm 50:1-15
24th. Tuesday - Joshua 15, Luke 22:1-23, Psalm 50:16-23
25th. Wednesday - Joshua 16- 17:13, Luke 22:24-46, Psalm 51:1-9
26th. Thursday - Joshua 17:14-18:28, Luke 22:47-71, Proverbs 10:21-32
27th. Friday – Joshua 19, Luke 23:1-25, Psalm 51:10-19
28th. Saturday - Joshua 20, 21, Luke 23:26-56, Psalm 52

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THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE

“But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: – Luke 24:52
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http://www.amazon.com/P-J-Mills/e/B004KAS792/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
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From the Archive:

"Being a child at home alone in the summer is a high-risk occupation. If you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour, she can hurt you." ~Erma Bombeck
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Jill: I just don't understand the attraction golf holds for men.

Mary: TELL me about it! I went golfing with my husband one time, and he told me I asked too many questions!

Jill: Well, I'm sure you were just trying to understand the game. What questions did you ask?
Mary: I thought I asked legitimate questions . . . like, "Why did you hit the ball into that lake?"
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My job as a land surveyor took me to a golf course that was expanding from 9 holes to 18 holes.

Using a machete to clear thick brush in an area I was mapping, I came upon a golf club that an irate player must have tossed away. It was in good condition, so I picked it up and continued on.

When I broke out of the brush onto a putting green, two golfers stared at me in awe. I had a machete in one hand, a golf club in the other, and behind me was a clear-cut swath leading out of the woods.

"There," said one of the golfers, "is a guy who hates to lose his ball!"
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