Luke 6: 48 (NKJV) 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.
Mark 4:15-17 (NKJV) And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
The Word of God is a like a seed that is sown into our hearts. It has tremendous power because it will cause our faith to grow. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). It is our faith in God that overcomes the world and the tribulation that comes with it.
According to the Bible, God is the sower of the Word, and Satan is the thief who steals the seed from our hearts by sending tribulation and persecution. Some people will stumble, fall away, and leave the Lord, but faithful friends can help to remind us that tribulation is the work of the devil and point us back to Jesus. If we have the conviction that God is good, we can be resilient, and trials and tribulations should bring out our genuine faith.
It is easier for the Word to be stolen when it is still in seed form. Once it has taken root in our hearts, it becomes a strong conviction of our faith, like the pouring of a layer of the foundation. It will be immovable because faith is not affected by our senses but anchored on the Word of God. If we have a strong conviction of the Word and act on what we believe, our hearts will be fertile grounds that allow the Word of God to take root and produce up to a hundred-fold. We need to have a hunger for the Word of God. Because what pleases God is our faith in Him, He wants His Word to take root in our hearts, and He wants us to take His Word for it because that’s what faith is.
We shouldn’t be like those whose house collapsed because of the lack of foundation, or those whose seeds had no roots. Although they received the Word with gladness, because they lack deep conviction, they stumble and fall the moment tribulation and persecution arise for the Word’s sake. Instead, we ought to be mature believers who have a foundation built on the Word of God and who can differentiate between the work of the devil and the dealing of God. It will help us to be resilient in our faith and finish the race.
Sermon Series: Resilience (Part 1)
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路加福音6: 48 他像一个人盖房子，深深地挖地，把根基安在磐石上；到发大水的时候，水冲那房子，房子总不能摇动，因为根基立在磐石上。
马可福音 4:15-17 那撒在路旁的，就是人听了道，撒但立刻来，把撒在他心里的道夺了去。 那撒在石头地上的，就是人听了道，立刻欢喜领受，但他心里没有根，不过是暂时的，及至为道遭了患难，或是受了逼迫，立刻就跌倒了。
神的话语如同种在人心中的种子。其蕴含巨大能力，因它将使我们的信心成长。信道是从听道来的（罗马书10:17）。我们之所以能够胜过这世界以及其间的患难，皆因我们对神的信心。
按照圣经，上帝是道的播种者，撒旦就是那以患难及逼迫将道从我们心中偷走的盗贼。有些人因为这些苦难和逼迫而失足绊倒，甚至离弃了神;而信实的朋友则能够提醒我们患难是魔鬼的伎俩，并且指引我们的眼目重新定睛于耶稣。
如果我们确信神是良善的，我们就能坚韧不拔，在试炼与患难中我们将显露出真正的信仰。
当“道”还是种子的形式时会比较容易被窃取。而当“道”一旦在我们心中生了根，就变成我们信仰的坚定信念，如同浇筑了一层地基。它将变得不可动摇，因为信心不受我们感官的影响，而是锚定于上帝的话语。如果我们坚信神的话语，行出心中所信，我们的心将成为肥沃的土地，让神的道生根并结实百倍。我们要渴慕神的话语。因为取悦神的是我们对祂的信心，祂愿意祂的道在我们心中生根，祂愿意我们对祂的话语深信不疑，因为这就是信心呀。
我们切莫像那些因缺少根基而房倒屋塌之人，也不要像那些僵死不生根的种子那样。尽管他们欢喜领受了神的话语，却因为缺乏深刻的信念，一旦遭遇因真道而起的患难与逼迫，他们就会失足跌倒。以此，我们要成长为成熟的信徒，具备建立在神话语之基础上的根基，能够区分魔鬼的工作与上帝的作为。这将帮助我们在信仰上坚韧不拔，努力奔跑直至终点。
讲章系列：韧性 (反弹/恢复能力)（第一部分）