The House on the Rock - Part 4
Matthew 7 (KJ2000)
24 Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock:
26 And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand:
We Must Understand What We Hear and What We Read
Acts 8 (KJ2000)
27 And [Philip] arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet.
30 And Philip ran to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you understand what you read?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
Philip seems to be suggesting that it was very important for this man to understand what he was reading. By extension, it is important for us to understand the word of God, whether we are reading it or hearing it.
Matthew 13 (KJ2000)
19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the way side.
Many believers struggle with doing the Word of God because they do not understand it. In fact, many sincerely think they are obeying the Word in some situations, whereas their poor understanding of the Word is proving to be a hinderance. It is hard to obey instructions you don’t understand. You may be sincere in your efforts, but you cannot be sure you are doing the right thing.
For example, a lot of believers seem to be obsessed with the devil, and engage in binding and loosing him every chance they get.
Ephesians 4 (KJ2000)
26 Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
These verses teach us to ensure we do not allow the devil to tempt us to do wrong when we get angry.
2 Corinthians 2 (KJ2000)
10 To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes I forgave it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
And these verses teach us that when we refuse to forgive, Satan gets an advantage over us.
Some believers lose their self-control when they get angry or indulge in not forgiving others. Yet their voices are the loudest when it comes to binding the devil. Can you see how a lack of understanding of the Word can hinder obedience?
Another example…
Ecclesiastes 10 (KJ2000)
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry: but money answers all things.
This verse simply means money can pay for a feast and for wine. Yet, some believers quote it regularly to suggest money is the solution to all our problems. Then, they proceed to disobey the verse that warns us against trusting in uncertain riches. (1 Timothy 6:17)
An understanding of the Word almost always seems to be based on three inputs:
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27)
The Five-Fold Ministry Offices (Acts 18:23, Eph 4:11-13)
The Diligence of the Believer Himself (Eph 3:3-5, 1 Tim 4:15, 2 Tim 2:15)
Continue in grace!