~James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
What will happen when you are tried for your life and what you did with it? I was tried on April 1st, 1980. That is the day when in my heart I stood before God, my Judge, and admitted to Him that I was a sinner in need of salvation. I accepted Christ’s perfect work on the cross, His death, His burial and His resurrection. In return, Christ’s blood covers my sin and I am now a child of the King! Christ is now my Advocate, my perfect Attorney, and I am no longer on trial for my sins because He has paid the price for my punishment.
On that wonderful day, I earned the crown of life, which Christ promised to me now that I love Him. I thought I loved Him before my salvation but I did not know Him.
It reminded me of the parable that Jesus preached:
~Matthew 7:21-27 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.) And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Notice the underscored portion of this text. Many will tell Jesus that they prophesied in His name, cast out devils, and done many wonderful works in His name. However, Jesus says they are workers of iniquity! One must ask himself who these people are and why they are not good enough to enter Heaven! They appeared to do the right things, however, those things were obviously not good enough.
The verses afterward talk about the person who builds his house on the rock! The rock is not a church or a person but is in fact Jesus Christ:
~1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
~Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
How does one build his house on the Rock? The Word is revealed to us at the hour of our salvation. God sees to it:
~Romans 10:8-13 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It is not joining a particular church – it is not keeping rules and laws. God says in verse 8 that the Word is near us – He puts it in our hearts (the desire). That is faith – when we believe the Gospel sincerely, and confess it with our mouths, then we are saved. The Word says that whosoever (that means me) calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It is not a little prayer-ette, but a sincere calling upon the God of salvation! When this is done, then your house (your faith) is built on the Rock, Jesus Christ, and your faith is solid!
