Preparation

Matthew 7:26-27 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: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

After a rough couple of weeks of the pressures of the world combined with no internet for almost half that, it is good to sit down here early morning with God. In prayer this morning I felt led to Matthew 7 where Jesus is closing his Sermon on the Mount; his longest and most powerful message. A message full of hope and warnings. Jesus did not hold back the power of the conviction of sin in his message; Jesus closed his sermon talking about those of us who do not listen to his warnings and how great our fall will be. You can just picture the astonishment of the crowd as they heard God preach; I cannot imagine personally hearing this sermon. Jesus has been telling us how to live and how not to live in this discourse; if you have those types of questions read Matthew 5-7 and He will answer them.

There are false prophets among us today just as when Christ walked the world two thousand years ago. Teachers that lead us down many lines of religion; many paths that don’t teach the entire Word of God, but just enough to make it sound like the Word of God. Paul warned Timothy in his final letter; 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (ESV) The way for you to “find out” these false teachers is both simple and divine; spend time in God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit grant you discernment. He will open your eyes to the truth through your heart and mind; you will be given knowledge by the One who helped pen the words you are reading. Suddenly what you have heard and questioned may become perfectly clear. All paths do not lead to God (universalism), and you are not promised a life here of ease; 2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

You would have to be living in a hole in the ground to not see the evil peaking around you today. You cannot deny, or maybe knowingly do deny, the evil that lurks among us. Is it not possible that Satan is peaking before his ultimate fall? Is his limited reign of this earth being stretched to God’s sovereign limit? Is God sickened by the state of humanity and waiting to just say ENOUGH?!!!! In the midst of chapter seven of Matthew, in these final words of Christ, are the warnings of the Narrow Gate; also are the scariest words in the Bible where he warns of those whom he denies. You must make up your mind on how you will live today, for today may be your last, but it is all in preparation for your eternity.