Are You Building on the Rock, or Next to It?
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” Matt 7 24-27 NAS
Jesus is our Rock, our firm unmovable, unshakeable foundation.
just as it is written, "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." Rom 9:33 NAS
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 3:11 ESV
The saved who are building on the Rock are like Christ, unmovable and unshakeable. They are firmly established in salvation by grace through faith alone and rely 100 percent on His righteousness. They see themselves as God sees them – forgiven, sanctified, holy, righteous and perfected. They no longer have any consciousness of sins or guilt as their eyes and thoughts are captivated by Jesus finished work on the cross and the love of their Father. They believe that their Father when He states He is no longer counting their sins. They believe that the blood of Christ has perfectly cleansed them and fully qualified them to participate in the inheritance of the Saints. They walk by the Spirit and not by the letter. Their symptoms and fruit reveal their full reliance on Jesus and they live in Jesus peace that overcomes all circumstances and reign in this life. These are the ones the enemy cannot devour.
The saved who are building right next to the Rock, are standing on shifting sand, moveable, shakable and easily devoured by the enemy in this life. They say it is all about Jesus, but their symptoms reveal the truth, they are relying on Jesus plus their own ability. They doubt God’s word and believe that God is counting their sins and that they are still under the law. They believe they must qualify to maintain their salvation by what they do to be right with God. Their experience as a Christian is uncertain and wavering and filled with defeat. Their eyes and thoughts are on themselves and their failures. They are conscious of their sins and guilt, fearful and worried, sometimes doubting their own salvation.
Both groups are saved because salvation has nothing to do with the person being saved and everything to do with the Savior. But only those standing with both feet on the Rock reign in this life as God desires.
Do you remember Joshua and Caleb? All of the Jews had been saved from the Egyptians, but only Joshua and Caleb reigned and entered the promised land, every other adult perished in the wilderness, devoured by the enemy.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NAS
The enemy must seek someone to devour because not all believers are devourable. The difference was that Joshua and Caleb did not doubt God’s word, they just believed it. They did not trust in their own abilities or lack of ability. They did not walk by sight, they walked by faith. They leaned fully on God, leaving the burden where it belongs, with God the promise maker. They reigned in this life and God recognized and rewarded their belief and trust.
God wants you to reign in this life and tells you so in this verse
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Rom 5:17 NAS
Victory is yours for the believing.
You do not need to live a defeated life as a Christian. You can live an unmovable and unshakeable life in Jesus peace that overcomes any and all circumstances. This life is waiting for you but you must work with the Holy Spirit and renew your mind to the truth that will transform you more and more into the image of Christ.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Rom 12:2 ESV
Two Main Covenants in the Bible
If your rich uncle died and they found two wills, one marked old and obsolete and another marked The New Will that applies, which one would you want to read? The New Will. Do you think the judge will read both wills and comingle the deceased’s requests into one? No. Which one would apply no matter what you believed? The New Will.
Moses gave the Old Covenant of law the Apostle Paul calls the ministry of death and condemnation. The New Covenant of grace and truth came by Jesus and starts after the cross, Paul calls it the ministry of Spirit and truth. The Bible is clear that the Old is now obsolete, cannot be mixed with the New, no longer applies and has faded away, replaced completely by the New Covenant. So, which one do you want to read? Which one will apply no matter what you believe?
And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:20
You will not find any Christians that live solely under the Old Covenant but most Christians do live under a mixture of the Old and the New Covenants. This robs the believer of the power of God found only in the New Covenant and the unadulterated gospel.
If you want to reign in this life, you cannot mix the two covenants like they are one. You must focus solely on the New Covenant Jesus shed His blood for until your mind and thoughts are renewed and captivated by His finished work and His righteousness.
The book of Hebrews is all about the New Covenant. I have written many studies on the New Covenant that will break bondages and help you immensely in your pursuit of peace and the freedom Jesus died to give you. If you want to reign in this life, right believing is the key that leads to right living and right believing opens the door to your true freedom in Christ.
Many more New Covenant Bible Studies HERE. Jesus poured out His blood for the New Covenant of grace and truth, replacing the Old Covenant law of Moses. Believers are exclusively under the New Covenant, the last will and testament of Jesus that began after the cross.