How’s your foundation?
Walking the Life of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 12 viewsThis is a sixteen week study through the life of Jesus, (Jesus on the scene, the miracles of Jesus, The parables of Jesus, and the victorious Jesus.
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Pray | Welcome
Have you heard about the incredible Pyramids of Giza? These ancient structures have stood the test of time, mainly due to their solid foundations. The builders ensured each pyramid was set on rock-solid ground, allowing them to endure thousands of years of wear and tear. Much like these giants of engineering, our lives need robust spiritual foundations to thrive. Let's focus on building upon Christ, our rock, as taught in Matthew 7:24-27
If you have your Bible you can turn to Matthew 7 and we will be in verses 24-27 in just a few minutes.
Context
Sermon On the Mount—encourage you this week to go back and read through the sermon.
List of message themes:
Just Prior to the passage: Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Then Jesus transitions to share a parable about two builders listen to the parable:
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
1. Obeying Jesus’ teaching leads to security.
1. Obeying Jesus’ teaching leads to security.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
a. Why should we obey?
a. Why should we obey?
Jesus tells us if we are wise we will obey his teaching.
Jesus tells us if we are wise we will obey his teaching.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
We should not brush off the message Jesus is explaining to the people. Matthew records chapters 5-7 with Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Jesus has spent a great deal of time sharing the truth’s of Scripture with the crowd. In that moment, Jesus felt the need to give this encouragement and warning to live out the teachings he spoke.
Far to often, we trivialize the call to live obedient lives. We attempt to justify not obeying the Bible. We make excuses. Yet, obedience is vitally important. In fact,
Obedience proves we are children of God.
Obedience proves we are children of God.
There may be no better text to help us understand the relationship between salvation and works than in the book of James. Keep in mind, James is the half brother of Jesus and was very familiar with Jesus’ teachings. He tells us in James 1:22-25.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James also tells us in James 2:26
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
In other words, obedient works are not salvific but proof that saving faith has been received!
Yet to many professing Christians claim they have repented yet they never live for Jesus.
There is a real danger for the church, especially in communities where there is so little persecution that we fall into a cultural christianity that is not biblical.
We fall into the trap of attending services and calling it a day. We do not live the faith out in our daily lives. We simply do not obey.
So ultimately how then do we do what Jesus has taught us through his Word?
b. How do we obey?
b. How do we obey?
First, we need to experience saving faith.
First, we need to experience saving faith.
Apart from saving faith any works we attempt to live out amount to nothing. Listen to what Paul tells Titus in Titus 1:15-16
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
We are not capable of doing any good works apart from saving faith. We cannot work to earn favor with God, nor can we live a good enough life to earn a seat at the table. It is only through repentance and and believing faith that we can be saved!
When we receive Jesus there is a beautiful transformation that takes place. 2 Corinthians 5:17 explains,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
We are new creations when we receive Jesus. Because we are a new creation, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live obedient lives. Notice the difference Jesus points out of the believer verses the non-believer in John 3:36
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
There is a powerful and unique difference between the old self apart from Jesus and the new one where we are saved by Jesus’ blood.
Also, we need to follow Jesus example.
Also, we need to follow Jesus example.
If we are going to obey Jesus’ teachings, we ought to live as Jesus lived. John tells us in 1 John 2:3-6,
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
In other words, when we walk as Jesus walked, we will obey his commandments to love God and love people. As a result, we will then know that we truly are children of God because our lives reflect Jesus to the world.
Peter expands on this in 1 Peter 2:21
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Are you following in Jesus’ steps? Are you reflecting Jesus to the world around you? When people see you do they see Jesus are do they see you?
Don’t miss this, we ought to be testing ourselves and Jesus’ life is the answer key. If our life isn’t matching Jesus’ life then we ought to seek the Lord and renew our vigor to live obedient lives before the Lord.
c. What do we gain through a life of obedience?
c. What do we gain through a life of obedience?
Obedience demonstrates wisdom.
Obedience demonstrates wisdom.
Remember Jesus calls the obedient man, wise:
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The word for wise is significant in Matthew:
Phronimos—wise—used 7 times in Matthew, most referencing someone who wisely prepares for the Messiah through living a life of faithfulness and obedience.
Obedient living allows us to prepare ourselves for when Jesus returns.
Also, obedience demonstrates our foundation is Jesus.
Also, obedience demonstrates our foundation is Jesus.
If Jesus is not our foundation, as we will see in a moment, we are not going to survive the coming storm. Look at verse 25 again,
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
There is a storm coming and it will prove whether our life is built on the foundation of Jesus or ourselves.
Are you prepared to face that storm? When life gets hard do you feel the security of Jesus’ embrace or do you begin to falter and waver? Does your faith go out the window and you begin trying to do it on your own?
This leads us to the second builder and what we learn from him is that,
2. Disobeying Jesus’ teaching leads to ruin.
2. Disobeying Jesus’ teaching leads to ruin.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
a. What similarities do the two builders share?
a. What similarities do the two builders share?
What I find interesting is that the two builders share a lot of commonality. Think about it,
They heard the same gospel.
They heard the same gospel.
They heard the the same sermon.
They heard the the same sermon.
They heard the same words of Jesus.
They heard the same words of Jesus.
Why we know this is true is that the context tells us that Jesus is using the parable to talk to the people who have just heard him preaching meaning that they would have heard Jesus’ message, the good news, and his words. The builders are those people and us who have heard Jesus’ message.
But not only have they heard all of that, after it was done,
They built homes.
They built homes.
The text tells us that both built their homes.
They are in a similar location.
They are in a similar location.
Both experience the same storm, yet the men experience far different results.
b. What are the differences between the two builders?
b. What are the differences between the two builders?
The fool heard but did not obey.
The fool heard but did not obey.
The foolish man listened to Jesus but did not obey the words of Jesus; the wise man heard Jesus’ words and lived them.
Which results in the foolish man making a grave error.
The fool built his home on a bad foundation.
The fool built his home on a bad foundation.
His foundation is on sand, not a rock.
In the region it was not uncommon for heavy rains to create flooding. So Jesus using a storm for reference is something people would have immediately noticed. Why would a man build his house on sand where it would wash out and destroy the home during this storm?
Jesus words carry great weight to the crowd. He is saying that it would be truly irresponsible and foolish to listen to his message and not follow in obedience!
Yet, many in the crowd that day would ultimately do just that, as do so many in the church week after week as we listen to Sermons, podcasts, even read our Bible’s but do not live out the faith through obedient living. We can hear and believe but unless we believe and do we are building our life on sand!
Which leads us to the third way these builders are different.
The fool’s home is destroyed when the storm comes.
The fool’s home is destroyed when the storm comes.
When the storm comes, the house fell, and great was the fall of it. There are going to be a multitude of people who do not expect their homes to be destroyed. Yet, because their lives were not built on the rock, it will be wiped out.
Our faith is not one that can exist without faithful living. Faith that does not produce good fruit is not true faith at all and when the storm Jesus speaks of comes, if we do not have true saving faith, our home will be ruined.
c. What is the storm in both of these stories?
c. What is the storm in both of these stories?
In the Old Testament, judgement is described as a storm.
In the Old Testament, judgement is described as a storm.
Listen to how Jeremiah describes the storm that is coming.
19 Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intents of his heart.
In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
Then he adds only two chapters later,
32 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, disaster is going forth
from nation to nation,
and a great tempest is stirring
from the farthest parts of the earth!
There is a judgement day coming and it is being described as a storm. Isaiah also adds to this image,
16 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.’
17 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.”
18 Then your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it passes through it will take you;
for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim;
as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22 Now therefore do not scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
Then there is Ezekiel’s message of a coming storm also,
10 Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, 11 say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. 12 And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ 13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. 14 And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 15 Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord God.
The old testament passages help us see that God uses storm language to point to judgement. It is then that Jesus is telling the crowd that on judgment day, these two men have very different outcomes, the man who believes, places his faith in Jesus, and lives out the teachings of Jesus will be saved from ruin but the foolish man with experience great ruin.
d. What ultimately is the future for the fool?
d. What ultimately is the future for the fool?
The life he built is ruined.
The life he built is ruined.
The text tells us,
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
His home is completely washed out because it was not built on Jesus. It was a foolish and destructive end.
Which means that the foolish man is ultimately,
He is condemned.
He is condemned.
I cannot help but remember the words of Revelation 14:11 listen to the destination for those who reject Jesus as their foundation.
11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
It is brutal. The image is terrifying and heavy. We cannot forget that that is the destination for every family member, friend, neighbor, unreached person in the world. Anyone who does not respond to the gospel with saving faith will ultimately experience the depths of that despair.
Proverbs helps summarize this reality. Look at Proverbs 12:7,
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
And Proverbs 14:11 adds,
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We have a choice to make, either we are going to build our life upon following Jesus or we are going to build our life upon our passions and what this world has to offer. What is clear from Jesus’ teaching and the word of God is that if we are going to be true followers of Jesus, our life must be built on Jesus.
In the late 1800s, a man named D.L. Moody was transformed by Jesus. Moody's life illustrates the power of building on Christ. He started with a simple faith and became one of the greatest evangelists of his time. His secret? Dependence on Jesus. He often shared, 'If God is your partner, make your plans big.' Moody's journey reminds us that when our foundation is Jesus, our potential is limitless.
Is Jesus your partner?
Invitation
Invitation
For some in this room, you have prayed and asked for forgiveness of your sins, but to be honest. Your life is built on the sand. You’ve chanced worldly success and pleasures. You have ran after financial gain. You sit in church, you read your Bible some during the week but your life looks nothing like Jesus’ life. You cannot remember a time you have shared Jesus’ good news with someone.
Will you take time this morning and ask God to establish your life on him, that he would empower you to live a life of faithful obedience to the Lord in all areas of your life?
For others, you have heard the message, you have tossed around if it is really worth giving up everything to chase after Jesus. He is worth giving up everything for. In reality, when we give up all we have for Jesus, we gain the greatest treasure of all. We will have a foundation and a future that will not be ruined when judgement comes because our future is firmly established in Jesus. Will you come? Will you give your life to him?
Yet, for others, you have spent much of your life building on that foundation of Jesus. You’re a walking testimony of Jesus’ faithfulness. Do not lose heart! Continue to seek the Lord and obey all he commands. Do not lose sight of the mission he has given us to share Jesus and make disciples. If you are breathing, you are still on commissioned for the mission of making Jesus known to the world. I want to encourage you to thank the Lord for his faithfulness and celebrate all he has done. And like D.L. Moody, continue to make big plans for Jesus’ glory!
Pray
