Rocks and Sand

No more substitutes for the Lord

Hey it’s the start of the new year, that means

- lots of left over chocolate from christmas

- New fits that you probably have been wearing all week

- your mom wanting you to give her your new years resolution

However it means a time where we can look at last year and our trajectory and determine what kind of people we are starting to become.

See as leaders we want you to be Sanctified people, but what does that mean? We have talked about it a bit before but the work Sanctification means: an event where you are made pure, no longer consistent of Sin, However we still live in a world that is filled with Sin and so we are also becoming made pure.

Sanctification is the process and Event of being made holy for Christ

If you where to summarize last year into one word, what would that word be and why?

So if we want to see how our last year was and look forward onto next year and change the trajectory then we would want to make some action steps on how to get to the changed life.

*Launch a air plane*

the launch - The lord we follow

The plan - The things will do

the surroundings - The world around us

if we want to be solid people we need to determine what a solid person looks like,

When it comes to following God how can we be strong in our faith walk?

Well First lets look at where to start.

See when we make a paper air plane we need to understand how to throw it even before we make a good air plane.

Becuase I can fold up a paper ball and even take a sheet of paper and throw it across the room and have some sort of success. The idea is that if you succeed in your initial start you should have something to work off of?

Think about it this way if you go to become a pro race car driver what is the first step? Getting a drivers lisence.

We need a place to start, and when it comes to our faith walk what better place to start then the Rock of salvation, that being Jesus as we just into Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24–27 NIV

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

See Jesus is wrapping up the Sermon on the mount and gave instruction of how to live his way, However the Rock that he talks about and the house he talks about are too metaphors about life.

See the house is our faith walk, even more is you can stretch this to our life. If we want a good life, a life that can with stand the hard times in life we need to be firmly planted on the Rock and not sand.

The Rock is a few different things as we can look at it:

Jesus himself, and this idea is that we can look at Jesus in everything he did, who he said he was and the things he stands for. We can acknowledge and follow the character of who he is as a example for our life.

The Bible itself, Since Jesus said anyone who hears these words and puts it into practice is like the wise builder. So we can extend that to all of the Bible since God has breathed on scripture and put his words on our pages, so all of it is our Rock.

However you see this passage you must agree that the start of faith needs to start with God. If we do not walk through life with God it really does not matter if we built the best house, or paper airplane for our example. It will not matter what kind of garden was established with it, if there is trees on the property, if the neighborhood is nice.

Becuase the house will be at fault in it’s very beginning.

Building your faith on a rock is better then building on a sink hole.

Becuase when life gets rough, and metaphorical earth quake comes and starts to rock your worldview on money, or friends, or education, or sex or on substances, or whatever. You are going to look back to the foundations, Let me get back to home and remember what it is all about.

When that mess of life comes, and it will come some day, having God as someone to go to is untimely the best thing that can happen.

So what does it look like to put your life on the rock? Well the first thing to do is to take down houses you already tried to build.

Where do you run to when life gets hard? Is there something that is taking the role of God? This could be anything that helps you cope or avoid the mess that is not God. I am talking about, gossiping, using of vapes or even drinking, relationships, video games even as much as I like to play video games they can be a way of avoiding the mess that is not putting my foundation on God.

First thing you need to do is establish what is not the rock and what is sand.

What is a example of a foundation build on sand

second how can you get closer to the idea of building on the rock, now this needs reflect how you live your life,

Now you see here are characteristics of someone who builds their life on the Rock:

Wise - someone who seeks wisedom and is wise will read scripture daily or try to because they know God’s words are wisedom

Peaceful - Jesus has said I give peace and bring peace, so the one on the rock will try to bring peace into peoples lives.

Prayful - Some on is on the rock will be in constant communication with God becuase they know that if their faith shakes then it’s time to check in with God.

Worship filled, those who are on the Rock will respect it for what it does and how solid, how awesome, how powerful He is. Do you know God’s glory and praise him for it.

compassionate, caring for those whose lives might be messy even when they do not feel like their life is a mess.

There is more but we won’t be here all night.

What I am saying is that if you want to say Jesus is my first priority, then you need to show it by how you live.

There is this

What do you do to follow Jesus right now?

What more do you want to do to follow Jesus?

How can this small group encourage you to do that this year?