An Enduring Edifice

We’re back to the Sermon on the Plain—the final installment

We could have sub-titled this True Obedience, since that’s the thrust of the teaching

Pastor Sean left off with some illustrations about paying God lip service

This parable, using an architectural analogy proves it pretty well

Apparent obedience, possibly done with ulterior motive, is not obedience

It has a catastrophic consequence

This is the direction Jesus would take as He concluded this teaching/preaching time

The overall concept taught here is that obedience brings survival, endurance; disobedience yields destruction

The sounds a lot like it could have come from Proverbs

The parallel teaching, from Matt. 7, even discusses the wise man and the fool—we could drop those thoughts in here quite easily

Reality Then

Certainly, in the day, building lasting structures was well-understood

The Appian Way—Roman road, was begun in 4th century BC—some still can be driven on today—other structures of the time period exist as well—a tribute to their foundations

We have the reality of life presented

There will be storms of many types during our lives

The thought here was surely spiritual storms

The obedient man heard, obeyed and was secure in the storm

The disobedient man, heard, ignored—same as disobedience, just sounds a bit more palatable—and suffered the extreme consequences

The Response

The obedient man heard and obeyed

The text tells us he dug deep, laid the foundation on the rock

Looking a bit further, it says the house was well built—(textual variant here—some “founded upon the rock”) appears to include more than just the foundation…the entire structure

The disobedient man heard and ignored

Once again, looking at the text, he built on the ground, without a foundation

The Result

The house of the obedient man stood the test of the storm, when the stream broke against it

The house of the disobedient man did not fare so well; no comment on it having been well built—it may have been a marvelous and well-built structure; but without foundation it was doomed

Realities of Structure

Here in the Northeast, we understand the need for foundations

If we’re not set below the frost-line, we’ve got a problem

Over time, the heaving of the ground will cause all manner of problems to a building

We start with a cornerstone

In classic construction, a properly laid cornerstone is the beginning of a building

It sets the direction of the walls and is the point from which all other key points are measured

From a Biblical perspective, Jesus is the cornerstone

Concept begins in Is 28 16-17

Isaiah 28:16–17 ESV

therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

Everything is measured from that stone

Paul explains the connection with Eph 2 19-21

Ephesians 2:19–21 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

We now see the structure built upon the foundation, which is laid upon the cornerstone

Now we build from there (Paul plays with the metaphor here—but the concept remains that Jesus is a the only solid base)

Reality Now

The Response

We start here:

That foolish man who builds on anything but the reality of Jesus Christ is lost—swept away to a Christ-less eternity;

Hell is NOT a pretty place

Going into this Christmas season it’s tough to talk about—but it’s real, frighteningly real!

Those who build on anything else but Christ will end up in Hell;

However we work out our eschatology, their end will be the Lake of Fire

How about those who are obedient…somewhat, anyway?

We are building our lives

If we are building on obedience

The Result

Now about that well-built house from the text

I’ll even admit that I’m stretching the text here…but it’s an appropriate stretch

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 ESV

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

The key to our text was obedience

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them...

Building the house begins first with trusting Christ…getting the foundation right

Building on anything else is a waste of time

You can go to church, get baptized, take communion twice a day, every day, read all the good authors, hear all the great preachers…but without faith in Christ you are doomed

It continues upward with obeying Him, acting as He would have you act

Moving as He would have you move…

Living our lives as He would have us live them

Looking through the epistles we find what are called the “household texts,” and similar sets of instruction

We can find them in Eph. 5-6; Col 3-4; related concepts in 1 Timothy 2; Titus 2; 1 Peter 2-3…among other similar texts

When we come to Christ, we are new creatures; we have a new head; a cleaned and renewed heart; the old has passed away; the new has come; we need “reprogramming”

It is within the Word of God we find the code that sets us running rightly

Following the Word…being obedient to it…is building on our original obedience to Christ

Our house will stand, if it’s build on Christ, but it will sustain damage if we’ve built on the foundation with the wrong things.

We were not saved to figure it out for ourselves

We were not saved to “follow our heart”

We were not saved to find our own way...

We were saved to be obedient to the Word of God…not just pay it lip service

The great news is: Jesus is the battle with us; the Spirit guides and empowers us

Transition to Communion