Solid Rock!

For Friday, February 17, 2023:

Matthew 7:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

Much has dominated the news lately about the earthquake in Turkey and neighboring Syria, killing more than 41,000 people, a total that keeps rising as more victims are discovered. Turkey, wanting to place the blame somewhere, is investigating contractors and building inspectors, accusing them of not building a solid structure on a solid foundation. Time will tell.

As Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount, he uses this comparison to encourage living our lives according to his teaching, a solid foundation indeed. The house we’re seeking is an eternal resting place in God’s neighborhood. Jesus said that he would go first to prepare a place for believers, so your house WILL be built on solid ground! In heaven everything is perfect, nothing rusts and nothing decays. I don’t know if there are earthquakes, but probably not. That won’t matter if your house is built on solid rock, not shaky sand!

Jesus, our foundation, isn’t just for Sunday mornings. He’s looking for 24/7 believers, living out his teaching in our daily lives. It’s no good to love Jesus Sunday morning but live for the world the rest of the time. He wants us permanently “in,” fully immersed in our love for the Lord!

The house of your eternal destination is built on the solid rock of Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

God - On Your Side!

For Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Psalm 37:39 NLT: “The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.”

If you're a believer, don't forget that God is on your side! Trouble may come and go, but God is the anchor holding you fast to his solid rock foundation.

Jesus taught, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Because there is still evil in the world, don't be surprised that we'll all experience occasional adversity. The key is to not get caught up in it. Place your faith, hope and trust in Jesus, who tells us that he has overcome all the tribulation of this world, which gives us a lot of hope! (John 16:33b)

The Lord rescues the godly, and they find shelter in him.

Blessings and safety to all today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Solid Rock!

For Sunday, September 20, 2020. 

Matthew 7:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

Where Jesus lived, shifting sands were a big problem. It was common knowledge that it would be futile to attempt to erect a permanent structure on sand. The sand could shift and your building would crumble. If your structure is to last, you need a more solid foundation. 

Jesus applies this analogy to our spiritual lives and religious education. In his day, people worshiped many idols, followed many false gods and had a plethora of errant teachers all too willing to disseminate their misinformation. At one time, God had called the Hebrews “His people,” but their religion had become polluted with rituals and traditions having little to do with what God desired.

Then along came Jesus to reintroduce the faithful to ‘loving the Lord’ and ‘loving their neighbors.’ The basics of believing really are that simple. Jesus is the only one with direct knowledge of God and heaven. Therefore his instructions are like solid rock, that unchanging foundation on which we can build our lives! And that gives us hope! 

Blessings and safety on this Sabbath,

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Psalm 40

April 18, 2016 Monday Message:

“The LORD lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a solid rock.” Psalms 40:2 NIV

As Christians, we’ve learned to live our lives a better way. When God first came into our lives, he found some of us up to our knees in the slimy pit, and others bobbing in the deep end of the mud and mire.

But our past doesn’t matter with God. He reassembled our lives, and we have all been given firm footing on the solid rock foundation provided by the LORD.

God is in the rescue business. His desire is that no one would be lost, so he will do everything in his power to salvage each one of us, if that’s what we want.

But God will not remove our free thought, our freedom to choose. When God opens a door for us, we can choose to enter or not. But his desire is that we would choose to enter.

David lived life both ways – he stepped in the mire, and then repented and returned to the LORD – and decided that life was much better on the solid rock.

“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” (from #370, the Lutheran Hymnal)

Norton Lawellin

Come worship with us! Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets every Sunday at 10 am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, April 24, 2016, we’ll look into Romans 7, living under the law vs redeemed by Jesus. See you at church!