Foundations
Notes
Transcript
Jesus’ Sermon
Jesus’ Sermon
Jesus is telling us about the Kingdom of God
V 20 blessed are the poor in spirit
hungry for righteousness
cry over their sin
Then He is telling us about the supernatural
Holy Spirit’s power to do the impossible
Love our enemies
feed our enemies
pray for our enemies
give to those who steal from you
Holy Spirits power not to be judgmental
to get rid of the sin in your life
so you are able to with righteous compassion judge others
Now Jesus will end His sermon with a challenge
what is your foundation?
how good your house looks is not going to help in the end
there are a lot of christian music stars who have “deconstructed” their faith
also there are megachurch pastors doing the same thing
there are a lot of evangelical giants that are beginning to show their true colors
By Jessie Golem, Huffington Post
I Was a Hardcore Christian, But This Is Why I Lost My Faith
My decision to leave the Christian faith didn't just happen because of a few negative conversations, or a few isolated events -- my decision was made because I realized (and experienced) that the Christian faith, for many, wasn't a welcome place for the oppressed, and that, in fact, has been, and in many different ways, continues to be, an agent of oppression for many people. Five years ago, there would be no way in hell that I could ever conceive of leaving the Christian faith. But here I am today. Friends have asked me why, and how, someone who was as zealous a Christian as I could so intentionally and deliberately leave the faith, that I decided, I am in a good, and secure place.
this person went to church Had faith in the establishment
this person was a zealous person for equality and social justice
and when things were not what she had hoped she left
Her house was not on a foundation
the flood waters rose and swept her house away
it does not matter how zealous you are for your religion
If your house is not on a good foundation it is worthless
Jesus is comparing the world religions and their promises to
the Truth
unless your faith is in Jesus and what he did on the cross
to bring you from your helpless estate
your house will collapse
Read Luke 6 46-49 .
A “Jesus Follower”
A “Jesus Follower”
V 46
in the time of Jesus there were many people who followed
there were many people who respected Jesus as a great teacher
there were many people who called Him Rabbi
they call Him Lord/ master but do not do what I say
do what I say??
I thought
Ephesians 2:8–9 (LSB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.
V 47
but but but what about ...
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Jesus is saying you call me Lord
you call me your master
but you don’t do
what does doing have to do with a firm foundation
V 47 48
Lets look at what James says
James 1:22–23 (LSB)
But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
for once he looked at himself and has gone away, he immediately forgot what kind of person he was.
James is going to correlate faith with works
if you have true faith in Jesus
it will be evident by our works
What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
The result of our faith is Good Works
God has given us good works to do
God leads in those good works
Philippians 2:13 (LSB)
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (NLT)For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
When people are calling Jesus Lord
when the say I’m a follower of Jesus
but their lives do not reflect that fact
when they have a life of sin
and hang onto the fact that they said a prayer years ago
and rely on once saved always saved
and continue a life of sin
or their faith is in the institution and not Jesus
Foundation
Foundation
our foundation is Jesus the cornerstone of our faith
and the reason that we do the works of God is
as a believer we are redeemed
what does this mean?
as all humans we are slaves
I know we don’t want to think like that
but we are either slaves of sin and satan
or we are slaves of Righteousness and God
as slaves we have no control about it
we have no control over who are slave master is
the children of Israel were slaves of Egypt
there was nothing they could do for themselves
when the time was right God intervened and freed the Israelites from slavery of Egypt
and at that time God became their Owner/ King
well it is the same for us as Children of God
in order for a person to go from being a slave to sin
to being a slave of Righteousness is..
a person has to be bought
a redemption price has to be paid
a ransom payment is to be made
to be released from the bondage
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy places once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
1 Timothy 2:5–6 (LSB)
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all
we were purchased with the precious blood of the lamb
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
and because of this we now are a slave of righteousness
Hebrews 9:14 (LSB)
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
our new master is God
our solid foundation is Jesus our redeemer
we want to serve Him
we want to show our love and appreciation
our works are again the product of God
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Your Foundation
Your Foundation
do you even have a foundation?
V 49 when the waters of judgement hit your house will it collapse?
wash away down stream and be destroyed?
is your faith in the organization?
or is your foundation on the Lord Jesus Christ
who shed His blood for the redemption of souls
to buy people from slavery of satan
it is time to put a foundation under your house
wont you put your trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross?