Build on the Rock

Today’s scriptures:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalms 18:2)

But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), (Genesis 49:24)

As we go through life we are bound to have disappointments, hurt, pain, and sadness. We are guaranteed to experience earth-shaking situations that could either, in a matter of speaking, make or break us. I can say this because Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this life (John 16:33). But then He says that it is ok that we go through times that are hard because He has overcome the world. Being that He has beaten the grave and the ways of this world and the lies of the devil, that gives Him the right position to be the Rock on which we can stand in the midst of such adversity in our own lives.

Please dear saints do not read this and hear me say so flippantly that its ok that you are experiencing great sadness and hurt because you can always turn to Jesus for your rock. Even though that is true, Jesus is not saying it so carelessly. He says it with deep compassion of knowing your great pain because He himself went through that. And He is not some vague imagination that can turn your world into happiness whenever you turn to Him. As a matter of fact, God the Father did not do that for Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus prayed for the cup of a terrible death and separation from His Father to be passed from Him. No, Jesus had a purpose to endure the physical and spiritual pain so that you and I can be free from Hell if we embrace that gift by giving Him our life and letting Him live through us.

Today we are looking into the twenty-first topic on the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus is teaching, which is “Build on the Rock”. Matthew 7:24-27… Jesus says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

What does Jesus mean when He says, “I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock”?

Building your house on the rock is about intimacy with Jesus. Strengthen your faith in Him by worshiping Him with everything you do, so when the suffocating floods and the damaging winds come, and they will come, your house will not fall.

Recently I was meditating on this very thing when my wife Cyndi told me about this car accident that she saw on 80/94 by Chicago yesterday. She said this woman looked like she was in emotional agony as help was just arriving to the scene. Cyndi didn’t find out what had happened but it got me thinking maybe it was a fatal accident and it was someone this woman was close to that had died. It’s horrible enough to go through something so gut wrenching, it is even worse to face it without the hope that Jesus gives if you have a relationship with Him. He is the firmness of your strength, the stability in your weakness, and the power in your love in any and every situation you are in.

Reflection:

Well, this wraps up the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. All of which are attitudes of the heart. Remember, attitudes come from the heart. If your attitude is wrong, that means your heart is not right. In this teaching there is an attitude of endurance as you work out your faith in Jesus and what He has done for you. The kind of endurance that will carry you through trials and that endurance only comes by you surrendering your own will and strength and let God work through you.

Challenge:

Dear saints, I challenge you to carefully consider how you are building your faith. Even people who call themselves christains can build their faith on sand having knowledge of God but not having closeness with Jesus. Talk to Jesus and ask Him to make it clear to you if you are standing firm on His foundation. Then go and win souls to the same house built on the Rock!

-Doug McGowan

I Never Knew You

Today’s scriptures:

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. (Titus 1:16)

(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; (Romans 2:13)

What horrifying 4 words from such a loving God! Think about it, in the verse below God says “in that day”. I believe Jesus is talking about in the day when a person departs from this world and is taking up to meet his Creator, God says “I never knew you; depart from Me”. I want to never hear those words spoken to me. After hearing those words you know that all true hope is now lost and you will forever be spending the rest of eternity in the lake of fire to be tortured and tormented… FOREVER! There is nothing you can say that can reverse that judgment brought on you by a just and loving God. It will be the only time that there will truly be no hope at all.

Today we are looking into the twentieth topic on the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus is teaching, which is “I never knew you”. Matthew 7:21-23… Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

Take a look at the verse above (Romans 2:13). Notice it says the doers of the law are justified. Now, if we compare this scripture with this passage in Matthew, one might say didn’t they “do” the will of God and yet God says depart from me? There is one thing to understand here. And that is the heart of Christ. The heart of Christ is always LOVE. To be in the will of God, it will always, without fail, have love at the core of it. To do something that seems right and noble may be good by our standards but if we really take a good hard look at the core reason and our motive of doing good things, they must be out of love.

One might say, didn’t I prophecy and teach Your Word? Didn’t I lay hands on those who were sick? Didn’t I go on mission trips to experience the despair of the poor and needy? Didn’t I tithe to the church for You? Didn’t I visit those who are in the hospital? Didn’t I read the bible every day? Didn’t I speak in tongues? Didn’t I do the things You did? And He will say “I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness!”

That very last part of Jesus statement I believe is key. They practiced lawlessness. See, we now go back to why I started writing “The HEART Of Christ” in the first place. It’s Love that is woven in and out of God’s law. Without love you are nothing and what you do is counted as worthless. Without love it is counted as lawlessness. And that is what some who call themselves christains practice. True, Jesus did do all those things but it was out of complete and pure love that was and still is acted out from His emotion of compassion that comes from His grace. That action of love is mercy and that my friend is the HEART of Christ!

Dear saints, I don’t want to speak harsh just for the sake of speaking harsh. But, I do want the Word of God to be spoken without compromise. I truly want to get your attention. It is a very scary and horrible thing to get to the end of it all and realize that you have missed it. I want you to hear that passage from Matthew 25:21 “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ All because you truly gave you whole life to Jesus and did the will of the Father out of love for His people.

Reflection:

After hearing those words “I never knew you” there is absolutely no hope at all! However, we do have hope in the here and now! We have hope from a very loving and compassionate Savior and His name is Jesus Christ. He is very patient with us, but please dear ones, don’t wait to find out why you do what you do. The HEART of Christ needs to be dwelling within you.

Challenge:

Ask God to search your heart. Ask Him to give you true compassion for His people and for those who are lost and without hope. Don’t do it with the desire to gain something for yourself. Go out into the world and be a light in the darkness. Go out and seek out someone who has a need, but do it with the intention of wanting to help him or her. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how you would want to be treated and go beyond to treat them better than that.

-Doug McGowan

Fruit Test

It has been a while since I wrote anything to continue the series of the Sermon on the Mount. But here is the next teaching I felt led to write about. This follows the last teaching back in September of last year 2013 called "The Gate and the Way are Narrow". please check it out to see where we left off.

Today’s scripture:

Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ” (Luke 13:7-9 NKJV)

The Lord is so patient with us, isn’t He? I mean, if we truly knew how messed up and wicked we really are in light of Him, we would wonder how He could put up with us. But, He does put up with us because He is patient. He is kind. He is not easily angered. He never fails to pursue our hearts. I want to be that way with people, but I have so far to go. The desire of my spirit is to pursue His love and His likeness and His relationship with me so that I can love and give mercy to others, especially in my own family. But, what about those who think they are of the vine and think they are producing good fruit? Is His patience going to last forever for them?

Today we are looking into the nineteenth topic on the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus is teaching, which is “You will know them by their fruits”. Matthew 7:15-20… Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Jesus starts out His teaching here with a warning. He warns us to watch out for false prophets. A prophet is someone who the Holy Spirit inspires to speak and to teach that comes straight from God’s heart to someone else. It isn’t talking about someone that just speaks about the future. Very often you might run into people who say they speak for God or that they are true believers who act as they are motivated to help others. Jesus calls them ravenous wolves dressed up in sheep’s clothing. The scary thing for them is they may not even realize they are a wolf. They may truly be so deceived thinking they are in God’s favor. In-fact, even as I write this, I do it with fear because teachers are held more accountable and I want to know for sure that I am doing it with the right reason of helping others and not for myself in any way.

This should bring a sense of fear that is healthy. The very respectable and reverence kind of fear. God is very patient and full of love, but He says those who eventually do not produce good fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire! Sounds harsh right? Well it should, because Hell is a very serious matter. DO NOT TAKE THIS LIGHTLY! If you truly are a follower of Christ, a true Born again Christian, then you will be producing good fruit if you stay connected to the vine which is Jesus (John 15:5). But Jesus is talking about those who are “playing church”, like those who may be in ministry for themselves or to gain acceptance or to become popular. Or it may be those who think it’s just about the strictness of God’s law without the intimacy of Jesus Himself. Being a true believer of Jesus should show a major distinction between the life you had before you met Jesus than the life you are living after you gave your life to Him. Remember, God is not mocked! You cannot fool Him by your actions. He knows the very depths of your heart.

God is love, but He is also holy and just. He will not allow wolves to devour His children. He most definitely will not allow His people to continue to act as if they belong to themselves or this world. He will have to get your attention, and if your not willing to submit to His will, eventually, He will have to give you over to the devil in hopes that you will come back to Him (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Today’s scripture reminds me of how Moses was with his people the Israelites. God was tired of their complaining and idolatry so much that He was going to wipe them all out. In Exodus 32:9-10, The Lord said “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them.” However, in v. 11-13 Moses (their intercessor) had compassion on them and stepped in and prayed. So, God relented.

Reflection:

Somehow, I have gotten this reputation that I preach a hell-fire message. But, the fact is, God is full of mercy and love and has compassion but He is also holy. He loves His people way too much to see them being taught by a false prophet who has selfish motives rather than having an interceding heart. He also loves those false prophets way too much to see them defiling themselves with pride and the ways of this world. He will remove them from His sheep!

Challenge:

Please dear saints, be in consistent check of your motives. Remember, we are consistently worshiping something. Is a true prophet of God who has your needs above his own teaching you? Or, are you being the one teaching with selfless motives, wanting God’s Word to truly reach the lost and needy? Don’t be afraid to ask God to search your heart.

-Doug McGowan

The Radical TRUE Jesus

The Radical Jesus

Facing the Fearful River

Today’s scripture:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Have you ever had to face something so terrifying and fearful you didn’t think you could go through with it? Of course you have. We have all been there, and if you haven’t yet… you soon will. You may be going through something right now that seems to be such a violent storm that only God could calm. Your current circumstance may seem like the most dangerous raging river you ever had to cross.

When we think about the awesome power of God, we look at scriptures like when He saved the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. But what about after Moses died and God gave the leadership roll to Joshua telling him to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River (Joshua 1)? See, when God led them up to the Red Sea, the Israelites did not have much faith and God knew it. He knew they had to grow in their faith so He parted that huge body of water before their very eyes. Yes, it still took faith to cross it even on dry ground. “What if the water would come back over us as we walk through”, they may have thought.

So, God first showed the Israelites that they could trust Him. Then, He brought another faith building situation… the Jordan River. You may think, “A river? That’s not a big deal compared to the sea.” Well, there are a couple of things to understand here. First, the time they had to cross, the river was in flood stage, which was the most active dangerous time. The other thing to understand is the Lord did not stop the water from flowing before they had to step into it like He did at the Red Sea. They had to act in faith before they saw any signs that God was going to do what He said He was going to do. They had to put their faith into action by remembering what God did before and know that He will keep His promise.

If you refer to a blog that I wrote titled “Revelation through Captivity” I mentioned that I was incarcerated. After spending 45 days in jail, I had to battle with the situation of being separated from my family with absolutely no contact of any kind and I lost my job that I had at Liberty Bible Church for exactly 6 years. I got real used to the idea and security of having that job. I was so comfortable in the thought of working around good Christain people I was fearful of going anywhere else.

The metaphor of the Jordan River for me came several times over the course of the last 5 months starting when I had to spend 6 weeks in jail, having no idea when I would get out. Having never experienced jail before, God wanted me to face my fears and teach me to rely on Him all over again in a deeper way. I was weakening in my belief that God is always in control and forgetting that God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a strong mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

When God takes you through something that is fearful, remember He is not taking you through it so that you will be in fear because He does not bring that kind of spirit. He brings the spirit of power over that fear. He brings a spirit of perfect love that can cast out those fears (1 John 4:18) because He is love and He is perfect. He also brings a spirit that strengthens your mind with knowledge of His Word and the wisdom to live it out.

Reflection:

Are you at a point in your life that you know God is saying take a step of faith? Maybe everything around you is saying you will sink if you take that step. If you believe God is requiring you to step, just believe He is giving you the power to take that step. That power has to start in your mind. Having the strong mind of faith that God will provide a way. Just live out your faith and put it into action.

Challenge:

Chances are you will come to the Jordan River sometime soon if not now. But, even now you may be faced with just a small river to cross. Life is full of small rivers every day. It may be that your facing a new job change, or working with someone that is difficult, or cleaning up after your dog when he devours the garbage. Then again you may be facing much more difficult times. Whatever it is, practice your faith in God by just making that choice to cross it no matter the circumstance.

-Doug McGowan