BUILD YOUR HOUSE
The Lord said in Matthew chapter 7 that we are to build our house on a rock. It was a parable about building your house on rock versus sand. When I first learned this parable, it seemed pretty straightforward to me. However, recently the Lord revealed a greater understanding about this parable to me in a dream.
“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25
THE DREAM
In my dream I saw a little one-room shelter where a man who was quite content, spent his time. The environment around his house was rough and rundown, and the weather was bad. However, he slept peacefully in the small house even with all of the rain and wild animals that surrounded this little shelter.
After processing this dream, I realized that this little one room house is representative of how we are to abide in Jesus. We are to live as if we are inside of Him and surrounded by Him.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:4-5
THE CHURCH
As the dream continued, I saw that there was a big house next to the man’s little house, where his parents lived. When the storms were really bad the man would stay in the big house.
I felt like the Lord was showing me in the dream that the big house represented the church and how as a body of Christ, we are supposed to help those who are going through a storm, with comfort and hospitality.
BROKEN HOUSE OF THE WORLD
In the dream the man became upset about something and ran out of his shelter into the rain and into the world. He went searching for something. But I knew he should not have left his shelter. When I looked inside his house, I saw that he had left the windows open. The rain was pouring into the house and the wind was flapping the curtains. In fact, one of the windows was missing and it was just a curtain hanging there over the open hole. It had been drenched by the rain. The wild animals had made their way inside the house. I also noticed that one of the man’s walls was just a piece of flimsy material – corrugated fiberglass. There was no insulation on this side of the wall.
After praying about the dream, I felt that when we try to build a life with Jesus, if we listen to the advice of the world, without asking God what He thinks, it’s like refusing to spend time fixing a house which desperately needs repaired. If we neglect the house, we risk it becoming uninhabitable. If we don’t repair broken things, such as a window, the enemy and the elements of the world can seep in to our shelter. Our private time with Jesus is crucial. When we don’t spend enough time with God, we will run out into the world looking for answers and leave our protection that we have under Him. But our time with the body of Christ, the church, is also important to help one another when storms hit.
A KINGDOM DIVIDED
A scripture that the Lord brought to my attention regarding this dream was Matthew 12:25 – “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.”
This statement was made by Jesus when the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons with Satan’s authority. This was a blasphemous statement and Jesus was explaining that God’s kingdom cannot partner with Satan’s kingdom. But this same principle applies to the kingdom of God. A kingdom of Christ that casts out Christ, by accepting the ways of the world, is a kingdom divided against Christ and cannot stand. Jesus goes on to explain how a house can be at risk of being broken into.
Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. Matthew 12:29-30
With all this push for unity among the body of Christ, I think it is crucial to understand what uniting looks like under Jesus. Interestingly, Matthew 10 describes how Jesus did not come to bring peace but to bring a sword.
But whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:33-34
Sadly, many are denying Jesus because they do not really know who He is. They make claims about how He would be accepting of abortion and sexual immorality because they are listening to a different gospel.
WHAT IS UNITY?
Unfortunately division is being used by the enemy to cause further confusion. It’s important to understand that those preaching a different gospel are the ones causing division, not those standing in truth and holding fast to the true gospel. To tell someone rooted in scripture to unite with someone who teaches a different doctrine, is not biblical – it is from the enemy. Because the enemy knows that if the church unites, he loses power.
If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 1 Timothy 6:3-5
Being told to unite with fellow Christians without addressing the sound-doctrine elephant in the room, can leave many feeling confused. We know love is the most important thing, but true love is born through truth. Love is not silent and neither is the truth. Those who love truth, will unite with others who also love truth. This is the unity that the Lord wants. To hold fast to what is good and right. Laying down petty differences but not laying down core biblical values that concern life and death.
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
FALSE DOCTRINE
If you are having to accept false doctrine to unite, that is not biblical. There is a lot of division over accepting perverted ways of the world and not protecting the sanctity of marriage and our children as we are called to do as servants of Christ. Several scriptures call us to be set apart from sin and corruption.
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:20-22
Even though, we are to reach into the darkness to be a light, we are not to partner with unrighteousness. God is the judge and we will answer to Him. We must care more about what Jesus thinks that being mocked, cancelled or laughed at by people and society.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13
Recently the enemy has been increasing the ways of the world to blaspheme our Jesus. The definition of blasphemy is to speak with contempt about God or to be defiant to God. It attacks God’s name, character, work, or attributes.
Blasphemy and false doctrine is very dangerous for our society right now. Because if we are not abiding in Jesus and we don’t know Him, we risk being deceived.
IRON AND CLAY
In my opinion, the things we are seeing, also ties into Daniel’s prophetic vision about the statue of iron and clay. The iron can represent the ways of the world, while the clay represents the very foundation of humanity.
And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. Daniel 2:41-43
Now what’s interesting about this verse is that Daniel 2:43 says – they will mix with one another in marriage, however the Septuagint says seed of man. The wording is very interesting and could be a separate topic, for another time, to be considered.
Whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with earthenware, they shall be mingled with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave together, as iron does not mix itself with earthenware. (Septuagint) Daniel 2:43
Earthenware was clay used for pottery. Remember in the Bible where it says the Lord formed us out of the dust of the Earth (Genesis 2:7)? There are several scriptures, such as in Jeremiah 18 and Romans 9, that refer to clay. However, let’s look at Isaiah 64.
But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8
The clay is to remain separate, it cannot bind with the iron. Neither shall we bind with the ways of this world. We are the clay. Do not turn away from God and become like iron.
THE ROCK
Remember how we are to build our house on the rock? I found it interesting that the word rock, which is Petra in Greek, is also the name that Jesus gave Peter in Matthew 16:18 – And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The rock (Jesus) is coming. It strikes the clay and iron in Daniel 2. The Lord wants us to choose how we will proceed from here. This is a critical time for the body of Christ. For those who turn away from God, they will be hardened like the iron. But we are the clay, to be molded by God, we cannot unite with unrighteousness.
WHOM YOU WILL SERVE?
This choice will effect our lives and our children’s lives. When we have highly influential people speaking against Jesus. We need to know it’s a lie as soon as it is spoken out of someone’s mouth and be ready to defend Jesus and our faith. He stands up for us when the enemy accuses us and we should do the same for Him. This boldness can lead more people to the Lord.
We stand up for Jesus because we love Him and He went to the cross for us. My hope for the body of Christ, is that we not remain silent over the corruption we see and that we remain a bright light in the midst of the darkness. Be strong friends. Maranatha!
So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:32-34
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