Now we will come back more closely to the Scripture that we began with, the prophecy that God was going to shake all things that can be shaken. Nothing that can be shaken will eventually be left unshaken.
Some years ago, the Lord, spoke to Ruth and me about His judgments at the close of this age. He said—I believe, this is my understanding of what He said—His judgments will come in three phases: preliminary, intermediate and final. Now, my personal reading of the situation of the world today is the preliminary judgments have already begun. I don’t believe we’ve come to the intermediate, certainly we have not yet come to the final judgments of God.
Now let’s ask ourselves, what are some of the things that can be shaken? Because, if they can be shaken, they will be shaken. I’d like to turn, first of all, to the famous parable of the two different houses, one built on sand and the other built on the rock, in Luke 6:47–49.
“Whoever comes to me [Jesus is speaking] and hears my sayings, and does them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like the man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently and immediately it fell. The ruin of that house was great.”
Notice there’s no difference to the tests to which each house was subjected. Each of them was subjected to the storm. Don’t imagine that being a believer will give you a storm-free passage through life. If anything, rather the opposite. There’s a kind of presentation of truth today which is only half truth, which is if you come to the Lord and get saved, everything will go well, you’ll never have any problems, et cetera. Most of us know by experience, if not by Scripture, that that is not true.
A friend of mine who is a preacher was once asked, “What is the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit?” He replied, “Trouble.”
There was only one difference. It was not in what the houses went through, it was that one was built on a solid foundation, a rock; the other was not. And Jesus said building on the rock is very simple, it’s hearing what He says and doing it. I believe that is the only foundation that will give us a building that cannot be shaken. Anything that is not built on the hearing and doing of the teaching of Jesus will be shaken.
So, beginning tomorrow, I would like to think over with you briefly some things that will be shaken. I’m trying to be objected and, in a sense, analytical. I’m trying to say things which everybody will agree to. The problem is not to tell people something they don’t know, it’s to remind them of what they know and maybe don’t want to remember.
Dear Lord, I realize that being a Christian doesn’t mean I never will have any problems anymore. But I thank You that, in these problems, You will provide the solutions. Help me to build my life on the solid foundation of Your Word, so even when I’ll be shaken, I will not crumble but will stand firm. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
