The Lord Builds the House
(Part 3)
Hearing the Word.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, one thing is stressed more than any other thing – the word of God. The Psalms reveals David’s intimacy with God and in it, he reveals the secret of his personal righteousness. David confesses that his life is shaped by ‘taking heed to Thy word’. He declares his love for the word and God reveals to him the power and importance of the word. In Psalm 138:2, the scriptures declare that God has magnified His word above His own name.
When deceivers try to lure others into their web of deceit, the first thing they do is try to break their followers away from God’s word. Cults twist scriptures out of context to give the pretense of holding to the Bible while teaching doctrines that contradict scripture. Almost all cults highly discourage their followers from studying the Bible without guidance. Most cults publish ‘study guides’ which weave their followers away from scriptures that would challenge the beliefs of the cult. Partial information can be manipulated to appear to say something that is actually contradictory to what the scripture has communicated to us. It is often said that you can prove anything with the Bible. This is true ONLY if you filter out everything that you do not want to be known. If you study the word, it is not possible to be led into error. To fall into error, there must be either ignorance of the word or a rejection of the word. If we only receive what is given to us by man, we can be manipulated by men who manipulate evidence. Let me give an amusing example of how we can falsely prove that women are dangerous drivers through the Bible. Look at the following passages:
Acts 27:15 we let her drive
Acts 27:17 and so were driven.
Acts 27:20 all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Of course if you read this chapter, you will see that ‘her’ is the ship Paul and Luke were on and the event is a storm that caused a shipwreck. Without changing any of the original text, I am able to prove a false statement by simply eliminating the context. This is exactly how false doctrine is propagated. I can believe and teach something that is not true simply by being ignorant of the scriptures – or deceptive to avoid passages that contradict what I want the people to believe. The vast majority of false doctrine would die in the pulpit if God’s people read and studied the word of God.
We have a world filled with malnourished Christians. Even if a pastor or teacher is faithful to the word and teaches accurately the things of God, you cannot mature and become spiritually healthy without seeking the Lord through your personal studies and time of discipleship. Just think about your physical body. If you only eat the things you like, what happens to your health? What happens if something is missing from your diet? In the past, sailors suffered from scurvy because they were missing nutrition for long periods of time. Scurvy, rickets, beriberi, pellagra and many other diseases are caused by vitamin deficiencies. People acquire these conditions when they refuse to eat foods they do not like or have foods missing from their available diets that have vitamins needed for a healthy body. Our spiritual condition is also dependent on our willingness to follow God’s plan. Look at Matthew 4:
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Churches today are appealing to the masses by offering only what the largest demographic of the population wants. Many churches that have adopted the various church growth models go out and survey the community and then deliver what the community wants rather than what God provides. We are like children around the table. If you give a child only what they want, your children will suffer the consequences. Many of the deficiencies we had early in childhood affect us later in life. The modern church movements offer candy from the pulpit because this draws the crowds, but if the whole word of God is not delivered, growth will be stunted at best and spiritual decay will be rampant in the church. We are not to only live by what we like, but every word that God has spoken. God’s way will produce healthy, mature believers and there is no other way.
True faith only comes through the word of God. Look at Romans 10:
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The Bible says that God deals each person a measure of faith and then reveals Himself to us by faith. The word of God reveals the mind of the Lord to us and then we grow by faith. You cannot produce faith. Faith is of the Spirit and not of the flesh or any human effort. Look at Jesus’ statement in John 6:
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
It is the Spirit that quickens or gives life and the word spoken is spirit. You cannot have the things of the Spirit without the word of God. As you seek the word, the things of the Spirit are revealed to you and you will grow. Let us look at the Bible’s instruction of growing in the word. Look at 1 Peter 2:2-3
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
When we first come to Christ, we should have a desire for the milk of the word. Consider the value of milk. Do not look at milk from our modern processed culture which strips most of the nutrition out and creates intolerance to milk in many people. The natural properties of milk are extremely valuable. When a child is born, the mother’s milk starts coming in. The first milk that comes out has colostrum. Colostrum is high in antibodies for immunity and very concentrated in nutrition. This is the jumpstart for the child to spur growth and establish the health of the child. After a few days, this is followed up by the nutrition of the mother’s milk which causes children to grow in size and health. There is no artificial formula created by man that can match the nutrition of natural, unprocessed milk.
Christians also need the unprocessed milk of the word in order to begin to grow into spiritual health. When someone first comes to the Lord, they should be given the milk of the word so that they can grow. As the scripture above states, this is necessary for newborn babes; however, there must be a time when the babes in Christ should be maturing into the deeper things of the Spirit. Look at Hebrews 5:12-14
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The focus of this passage is still on the word of God, but now believers are called to get into the meat of the word. If a Christian is growing in the word, they should be growing in maturity in their understanding and begin searching out the deep things of the word. The phrase ‘strong meat’ is literally translated into ‘solid food’. Strong is the word ‘stereos’ which means solid, firm or strong. Meat is the Greek word ‘trophe’ which means food or nourishment. I bring this up because we don’t have a one-sided diet, but we must dig into the whole word of God – even the things that we may not immediately desire.
As a young Christian, you should desire the milk of the word so that you can grow. As you mature in Christ, you should begin to take in the deeper things of the word as you become skillful in the word (rightly dividing the word of truth). God will not reveal the deeper things of the word until we are mature enough to receive it. The milk of the word is the first oracles of God or the basics of our Christian faith. The solid food of the word is what brings us to maturity and increases our understanding of the things of God.
Since faith comes by hearing the word of God (this includes reading), deep faith can only come through seeking the whole council of God. Revelation 2:17a states:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna…
Manna is the word of God and there is so much more to the word of God than what resides on the surface. Jesus said that if we seek, we shall find. If you do not seek, you will not find. Proverbs tells us that the knowledge, wisdom and understanding of God are in His word and are only found by those who search for these as for hidden treasures. Also look at Psalm 25:
14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
The treasures of the Christian life are hidden from those who do not seek, but God shows it to those who fear Him. To fear God requires that we walk in obedience to His word. You seek, but you cannot find unless God reveals these things to you. Many seek but never find because the Lord must reveal His truth to us. It is not merely to seek for we can seek with selfish ambitions and the Bible warns that selfish ambition is a work of the flesh. We seek the Lord, not seek ourselves. Those who seek personal enlightenment may dabble in many spiritual practices but find the occult rather than God. Consider this passage from Romans 9:31-33
31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
When I say that we must seek, it is not just the act of seeking, but it is seeking the Lord by faith. As always, Jesus Christ is the central focus of all things and we find Him when we seek Him by faith. All the spiritual understanding God has given us point us to Christ and conform us to the image of Christ. If becoming like Christ is not your goal and hope, your searching is based on the flesh and is in vain. No one can find God without first being drawn (John 6:44). The Lord first stirs our hearts by the Spirit and calls us to seek. If we respond to His call of faith and seek, we will find Him. Throughout our lives we are called to seek Him by faith and we either respond by faith or resist and choose the things that crowd our lives and drown out His call to our hearts. His call to seek is what establishes upon our secure foundation.
Founded Upon the Rock.
The word of God is the secure foundation of our lives. Many people claim to have the formula for success or the spiritual secrets that will change your life; however, Jesus gave us the secret to living the Christian life in Matthew 7:21-27
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 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: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 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.
The Christian life is not a complicated formula that can only be discovered by finding secrets or learning from gurus. The secret of fulfilling the Christian life is simple: believe the word of God and live it by faith. Jesus makes an interesting contrast in this passage. Jesus begins by forewarning against those who attempt to build their own faith by works and personal efforts. Good works do not make a secure foundation. Good works – even done in Jesus’ name – do not lay our foundation of faith. It is not works that produce faith, but faith founded upon the word that produces works. Through faith we may even do the works that Jesus used in His illustration, but it is not the works that justify; it is walking by faith. We can only know Jesus through faith – believing the word of God and responding to it – by faith.
Jesus begins by saying, “Many will say to Me, Lord, Lord”. It is not the one who calls Him Lord, but the one who obeys His word. Everyone wants to call themselves a follower of Jesus and most are willing to do good works, but works done on our own terms does not honor God and is not honored by God. The Bible tells us “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Many will present their works before God and be rejected for the calling of man is not to do good works, but to submit ourselves to our Creator and to obey out of faith.
Jesus is not telling us that we should not do good works, but that our good works must be drawn from a life founded upon the Rock. We become doers of the word by hearing and obeying the word of God. Good works must be founded upon a life that is founded upon the rock. Obedience is critical. Obedience is not possible without hearing and keeping the word of God. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. It does not take a mighty faith to fulfill God’s call. Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples that it takes a grain of faith, not a mighty faith. Our obedience and our fulfillment to the call of God is not dependent on the ‘size of our faith’. We don’t serve a mighty faith; we serve a mighty God. Faith is believing God and because we trust His word, we respond through obedience – even if we are fearful or struggling with doubt.
You have probably heard it said that doubt overcomes faith or that doubt is the opposite of faith. I have heard it taught that faith activates God and doubt activates the devil. Both assumptions are completely in error. Find any passage of scripture that says God is put into action by our faith. Find any passage of scripture that says that Satan is put into action by our doubt. You can find many people who teach these superstitious ideas, but you will not find anything like this in the Bible. God is always in action and His plan is already established with us or without us. Faith doesn’t make God act for we do not command God.
Faith is not a creative force. We are not creating a plan nor are we making something happen that we have determined and believed out of our own hearts. According to the scriptures, faith is believing God’s word and putting our trust in Him to accomplish what He has said He would do. Abraham believed God and his faith was accounted for righteousness (Romans 4:3, Romans 4:5 and Genesis 15). Abraham did not activate God through faith; God revealed His plan to Abraham and by faith, Abraham believed God and put his trust in God. Abraham’s faith put himself into action. The plan of God was already established before the Lord revealed this to Abraham.
Faith makes us act. By faith, we obey God, submit ourselves to Him and enter into His work which is accomplishing His plan that was established before the foundation of the world. Faith and doubt often will coexist. Doubt has no power to overcome our faith. Look at this passage from 1 John 5:2-4
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Notice yet again that faith and obedience are joined together. You cannot walk in faith and walk in disobedience. If you are walking by faith, you will always walk in obedience. The last part of the above passage makes the claim, “This is the victory that overcomes the world…our faith”. Now if doubt could overcome our faith, where would the victory be? Doubt cannot overcome faith, but faith can surely overcome doubt. Even when you have doubts, you can walk by faith. Search the scriptures and see if doubt is ever called a sin. Unbelief is called a sin. Look at Hebrews 3:
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
In this passage, the Bible is warning the Christian not to fall into the same error as the Children of Israel. The Israelites saw the mighty works of God and were tested. The test was that God gave them the promise that He would lead them into the Promised Land; He would fight for them and He would give them the victory. The word of God commanded them to obey with the promise as their reward. Upon entering the land and observing the giants of the land, the fortified cities and many obstacles, the Children of Israel chose to disbelieved the promises of God. It was not their doubts that were condemned, but putting their trust in doubt and disbelieving the Lord. Doubt said, “The inhabitants are too strong and you are too weak. You cannot survive, flee while you can”. The Lord said, “Surely I will deliver them into your hand. I will go before you and overcome all adversaries if you obey out of faith”. The Children of Israel believed their doubts and disbelieved the word of the Lord. It was not their doubts that God condemned; it was their disobedience based on disbelief.
Doubt and fear are human emotions that you cannot prevent from arising when circumstances seem impossible based on human reasoning. This goes back to what we studied earlier that the ways of God are foolishness to the human mind and those who are trusting in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8, 1 Corinthians 2:14). When God calls for obedience, it is often very foolish – until we see through the eyes of faith. Once we recognize that God is the power behind the command and the power behind the promise, then it becomes foolish to disobey. So when doubt and fear arise, they are overcome by our faith. “This is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith”. Doubt is not the absence of faith – faith overcomes doubt. Fear cannot overcome faith – faith is the victory by which we overcome fear. By faith we mean faith in the Lord and in His word. You have the power to put trust in your fear and doubts or to put your trust in the Lord. When we trust the voice of fear or doubt, we will reject the faith God has put before us in His promises. An evil heart of unbelief causes us to depart from the living God because when we side with the things calling us to disbelieve His word, we turn our backs on God and are in rebellion against Him.
Satan is not activated by fear or doubt either; he is the father of these things. Satan is the one who speaks lies to us in order to stir up our doubts in the hope that we will reject the word of the Lord and put our trust in fears or doubts. Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). That is what fear and doubts are – lies. Look at these two passages:
Romans 1:17-19
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
This applies to those who love sin, but it equally applies to those who cling to the lies of fear and doubt. God is merciful and just. He first reveals the truth to us and then calls us to choose. When God tested the Children of Israel, He first showed His power to them, the men who spied out the land testified that everything God said was true, and then God called them to trust Him with what they could not see – the coming victory. The same thing is true in our lives. God first reveals Himself to us by faith. He manifests Himself to us and then calls us to believe His word by faith or suppress the truth and believe the lie. Those who take pleasure in unrighteousness will be blinded to the truth of the gospel. If we take pleasure in our fears and doubts and choose them over God, our eyes will be blinded to the power of God and we will never see the victory that overcomes the world. There are many men who struggled with fear and doubt but were used mightily by God because they obeyed by faith in spite of fears and doubts.
Consider some of the men whose testimonies reveal that faith was the victory that overcame their fears and doubts:
Gideon (was afraid to face the Midean armies)
Moses (Fled from Egypt and was afraid to speak publicly. Aaron had to be his spokesman)
King David (testified of his fears and doubts many times in Psalms but proclaimed – “When I am afraid I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3)
Nehemiah (testified that he was dreadfully afraid but still petitioned the king to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem)
Esther (was afraid to stand up for her people when Haman tried to kill all Jews)
Abraham (twice was afraid of being killed for his wife and lied)
Isaac (was afraid to be killed for his wife and lied)
Jacob (was afraid of his brother)
Saul (hid to avoid being anointed as king)
Elijah (fled from Jezabel)
Peter (Denied Jesus out of fear)
Thomas (known for doubting)
All the apostles forsook Jesus and fled when He was arrested and hid in an upper room for fear of the Jews.
If fear or doubt gave power to Satan, none of these men should have been victorious, yet they were. What gave them the power to do such great things? It was not a mighty faith, but faith the size of a grain of mustard seed that called them to put their trust in a mighty God. If these were mighty men with unshakeable confidence, we would never recognize how this applies to our lives and we would not see that the true glory belongs to God alone. These men and women were just like you and I. They had fears, doubts and a lack of confidence – until they determined to put their trust in the living God. Once God became their confidence, the fear and doubt that haunted them lost its grip on their lives.
It is amazing how that when God becomes our confidence we realize that we do not need to be perfect, qualified or well equipped to stand upon the word of the Lord. I am not an eloquent speaker and I often fumble over my words. In the past this bothered me, but now I realize that I speak in confidence because it is the power of the word and the authority given by God that is my strength. The same is true for all our weaknesses. God takes great pleasure in using weak, unequipped and under qualified people to do His mighty work. If you were the focus, then you would need to be the cream of the crop, but this is not the case at all. The reason is spelled out for us in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Sometimes I have to realize that God picked me because it doesn’t make sense. God picked an insecure man, poor in speech, poor in academics, whose life was out of control and founded me upon the rock of Jesus Christ. Selecting me to speak, write and disciple others would be a completely foolish decision based on human standards. The people God has used over the centuries just doesn’t makes since. Almost all of them are very foolish choices until you factor in the most important truth – God is the power behind the work.
If you want to see the power of God in your own life, the answer is found in only one place – you must be founded upon the Rock. If you seek His word, keep His word and obey by faith, God will show His power to you and in you. The modern culture – including the church – may not see any potential in your life, but that is ok. There is only one thing that matters: are you a man or woman who is after God’s own heart? If you truly love God, you will keep His commandments and stand upon His word. If you answer His call to seek, He will reveal Himself to you. If you hear his words and do them, your foundation will be secured firmly upon the rock and you shall not be moved. Doubt can’t move you; fear can’t move you; no power in heaven, earth, or hell can move you. Only when you are founded upon the rock can you claim the promise, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith”.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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